IT’S hoped Australians will embrace their inner bird nerd and help spot 1.5 million birds in seven days, during the Aussie Bird Count.
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BirdLife Australia’s event will be held from October 23-29, giving the not-for-profit bird conservation group a snapshot of Australian bird communities compared with previous years.
A smartphone app will allow people to identify birds by tapping in their size, shape and colour, and also to see other bird sightings in their local areas and across Australia.
Participants need to count birds for at least one block of 20 minutes in their backyard, local park, school, farm or other outdoor space.
“The great thing about using the Aussie Bird Count app is that it makes it possible for anyone to participate and have fun discovering the birds that share their favourite outdoor spaces,” BirdLife Australia’s Sean Dooley said.
In 2016, 61,000 Australians participated, counting more than 1.4 million birds and recording more than 583 species.
The rainbow lorikeet, noisy miner and Australian magpie topped the most-counted list.
People interested in taking part are being encouraged to get the latest version of the app and practise identifying and counting birds.
- Register and download the app at www.aussiebirdcount.org.au