Ian Connellan
On Monday 18 October, the 2021 Aussie Backyard Bird Count begins!
This annual outbreak of citizen bird-geekery involves observing and counting the birds that live near you – whether that’s in a backyard, local park, or even a town-centre green space. Participants record observations within a 20-minute period, and the data goes to BirdLife Australia, where it’s used to deepen understanding of local, especially urban, birds.
We talked to Birdlife Australia’s National Public Affairs Manager Sean Dooley about the count, how to get involved, and what’s been learnt. Sean was for many years editor of BA’s magazine; he’s also a noted author, having published The Big Twitch (2005), and Anoraks to Zitting Cisticola: A whole lot of stuff about birdwatching (2007).
