Go Greener

Birds are an important part of our ecosystem. They eat pests, disperse seeds, pollinate plants, protect environments such as wetlands and are creatures of beauty. I am lucky enough to have a Powerful Owl living in the bush adjacent to me. He often visits my backyard at night as I can hear his slow, deep, double hoot.

The Aussie Bird Count is on between 17-23 October 2022, giving you the opportunity to become a citizen scientist and participate in the important work of Birdlife Australia. This activity has been running yearly since 2014. You can become involved by signing up on their website. You do not need to be an expert on birds to participate in the Aussie Bird Count. You just need to spend 20 minutes in your favourite outdoor space and count birds. If you have trouble identifying birds a poster of common NSW birds can be accessed here.

Last year in NSW 1,644,056 birds were counted with 420 species identified.

The 5 most common birds found in our state were the Rainbow Lorikeet, the Noisy Miner, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Australian Magpie and the Galah.

In the past, the Common (or Indian) Myna, which is native to Asia, has been increasing in population. 2021 is the first time this bird has dropped off the national list as one of the top 10 birds sighted in Australia. The Australian White Ibis, also known as a bin chicken, is number 10 on the national list. This could be due to the drought in 2019 when many of the birds moved to the coast and decided to stay.

If you would like to encourage more native birds to your garden, follow this link about suitable plants on the Birdlife Australia website.

Take some time out, be still in nature and sit and watch during National Bird Week beginning next Monday.

Sue Zipfinger
Sustainability Coordinator