Rita and her group are experienced birdwatchers and their team of ten people conducted the survey over two and a half hours. They worked their way through the access trail at Silcock Street and covered a distance of 2 kilometres. In that relatively short time they identified 61 species of birds utilising the area.
Sarah Crudgington from REF Inc who acted as the guide for the group reflected that the group hadn’t really covered all the habitats within the time frame and there were likely to be many more species associated with the mangroves and saltmarsh which had gone undetected. Given that there is also seasonal variation in the species using the area it can be deducted that these remnant areas of wetland and associated forests provide valuable habitat for a significant bird population. This again underlies the value of the work being done.
Aussie Backyard Bird Count 19th to 26th October 2015
BirdLife Australia and the Birds in Backyards team have come together to bring you the Aussie Backyard Bird Count!
Celebrate National Bird Week 2015 by taking part in the biggest citizen science project to hit Aussie shores! From 19-25 October, thousands of people from across the country are heading out into their backyards, local parks or favourite open spaces to take part in the first ever Aussie Backyard Bird Count!
To get involved all you need is 20 minutes, your ‘green patch’ of choice, and some keen eyesight (or binoculars!) And it doesn’t matter if you’re a novice or an expert—we’ll be there to help you out along the way! Simply record the birds you know and look up those you don’t on our ‘Aussie Bird Count’ app the website: www.aussiebirdcount.org.au
You’ll instantly see live statistics and information on how many people are taking part near you and the number of birds and species counted not just across your neighbourhood but the whole of Australia!
Not only will you get to know your feathered neighbours, but you’ll be contributing to a vital pool of information from across the nation that will help us see how Australian birds are faring.
So get your friends and family together during National Bird Week, head into the great outdoors and start counting!
In the environment we often rely on experts, but initiatives like this and other citizen projects means we can all contribute to science and help maintain our wonderful wildlife.