Submitted by Holly on 14 Nov 2023. A big thank you to all our Backyard Birders who, on top of the Aussie Bird Count, also did their Birds in Backyards Spring surveys. 1663 surveys came in across 603 locations and a lovely spread from towns and cities across Australia. The top 10 birds recorded were not surprising – they are the ones we expect time and time again to be dominating our gardens. For those who are new to these reports, we often use ‘reporting rates’ to describe how common birds are. A reporting rate refers to the percentage of bird sightings or observations that are reported by o ..read more

Submitted by Holly on 09 Nov 2023. Sometimes creating a habitat garden can feel overwhelming! It doesn’t need to be though, and you can start with simple steps that can eventually add up to a valuable habitat. To help you with the task, we’ve put some of our favourite tips together here. If you’re building a garden without blowing your budget we haven’t forgotten you, we’ve included some suggestions at the end of this article.  This is the second blog in a series adapted from our ‘month of habitat gardening’. You can read our last piece here.  Build on what you already have You don ..read more

Submitted by Holly on 05 Sep 2023. Head over to Birdata and get your Birds in Backyards Spring Survey underway Getting started is easy. If you don't have a Birdata account, register for one, read the instructions for the web or app or watch our animated video. You can also check out our recent webinar on how to do the surveys (and why the data matters). If you download the Birdata app (search for BirdLife in your app store) you can take your device with you to do your count. Otherwise, go to the Birdata portal to get started on your computer ..read more

Submitted by Holly on 21 Jul 2023. Habitat is more than providing a garden. Human activity introduces a variety of risks for the birds that are living amongst us. Taking a few small steps to support wildlife can be simple, so we’ve put together a list of some of the most important things you can do, all without getting your hands dirty.    Reduce your bird strike risk  From our coastal cities to the remote outback, window collisions injure or kill individuals from around a third of Australian bird species each year. From Spotted Pardalotes to the majestic Powerful Owl, many s ..read more

Submitted by Holly on 13 Jun 2023. Head over to Birdata and get your Birds in Backyards Winter Survey underway Getting started is easy. If you don't have a Birdata account, register for one, read the instructions for the web or app or watch our animated video. You can also check out our recent webinar on how to do the surveys (and why the data matters). If you download the Birdata app (search for BirdLife in your app store) you can take your device with you to do your count. Otherwise, go to the Birdata portal to get started on your computer ..read more

Submitted by Chickowee on 21 Jun 2021. Archer Leddy will tell you his first memory of birding was when he was barely a 1-year-old. "When I was a baby, [I was] looking through my binoculars out by the front gate, looking for birds," Archer says. The Leddys' front gate in Padthaway, south-east South Australia, remains a good vantage point. You can see a lot from there. "Magpies, black kites, wedge-tailed [eagles], red-tailed [black cockatoos], yellow-tailed [black cockatoos], sparrows, honeyeaters, cuckoo-shrikes, the black-faced ones, wattle birds, ravens, currawongs." Read this charming story ..read more

Submitted by Chickowee on 17 Mar 2021. Just as humans learn languages, animals learn behaviours crucial for survival and reproduction from older, experienced individuals of the same species. In this way, important “cultures” such as bird songs are passed from one generation to the next. But global biodiversity loss means many animal populations are becoming small and sparsely distributed. This jeopardises the ability of young animals to learn important behaviours. Nowhere is this more true than in the case of regent honeyeaters. In a paper published today, we describe how a population crash t ..read more

Submitted by Holly on 18 Nov 2021. Are you gaga about Gang-gang Cockatoos? So are we! Join us for the Gang-gang Cockatoo Recovery Project and gain the skills and knowledge to take action to make a real impact on the conservation of this iconic species! Participants will also help us uncover the secrets of this charismatic but mysterious bird and contribute to research that will inform further Gang-gang Cockatoo recovery actions!   Your participation will allow us to build our understanding of the Gang-gang Cockatoo an ..read more

Submitted by Chickowee on 26 Sep 2021. Over the past few years, my amateur bird watching has escalated into more of an obsession, one that occasionally pulls me out to more remote areas of Australia. Several months ago on one such trip, I had cause to think about what drew me to birds. On that particular day, I was walking in the Warrumbungles in New South Wales, trekking up a slope toward Mt Exmouth. I rounded a corner to spot an enormous wedge-tailed eagle perched on the ridge above me. It was an adult, with dark, near-black plumage, boxy shoulders and an immense beak. Its sheer mass was st ..read more

Submitted by Holly on 26 Feb 2021. Gazing at Gang-gangs, marvelling at Magpies or smiling at some Spinebills? Join our Birds in Backyards surveys this Autumn and let us know who is visiting your garden. 20 mins and some information about your garden helps to understand our local birds and gives us invaluable insight into their daily lives. How do I take part? To do a Birds in Backyards survey, spend 20 minutes in one spot where you can view birds - your backyard, local park, school, or other favourite outdoor place. Simply count how many you see of each bird species you see using that space ..read more