Submitted by Holly on 27 Feb 2024.   It's been high drama for the Powerful Owls of the Greater Sydney Basin in 2023. Our Powerful Owl Project has witnessed rescues, adoption, and a stronger rate of fledging for youn owlets after a very challenging 2022. You can read more about what the Project has been up to in this PDF.   Image by Simon Zhou ..read more

Submitted by Holly on 27 Feb 2024.   BirdLife Australia often advises on laws and regulations that may impact wildlife. We work in consultation with communities, researchers and regulators to take holistic approaches to complex issues. We’ve invited Nell Thompson, an industry expert, to share insight into the nuances of domestic cat management in Australia.   If you're like me, adages such as, ‘know which way the wind blows’, ‘all roads lead to Rome’ or even ‘walk in others’ shoes’, don’t mean anything… until they do. A common saying that I am reminded of daily in my work is ‘perfec ..read more

Submitted by Holly on 23 Feb 2024.   Birds in Backyards recently co-supervised Genevieve Heggarty as she undertook a research project to tackle the question of what determines whether small birds, like Superb Fairy-wrens, can survive in urban areas. Genevieve shares her findings here. Superb Fairy-wrens were once one of the most common birds found in Sydney. Unfortunately, over the last few decades, we have noticed a substantial decline in their numbers. There is a strong desire from the community to get these birds back into our backyards. As such, this charismatic Australian icon is o ..read more

Submitted by Holly on 23 Feb 2024.   Thanks to everyone who has taken part in our Birds in Backyards surveys for the Summer period! You’re helping us build a long-term dataset of species patterns across the country.  We recorded 271 species in Birds in Backyards surveys this summer, across 845 surveys. That’s a total of 26,335 birds that were counted.  The table below shows us the most frequently recorded species, with reporting rate, or the percentage of surveys in which that species was seen, given to the right.  Common Name  Reporting Rate  Rainbo ..read more

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