As part of National Bird Week from 17-23 October, Shellharbour City Council and BirdLife Australia are calling on local residents to get involved in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count.

The Aussie Backyard Bird Count can be done in people’s own backyard or in public places like beaches, parks, gardens and local bushland.  

You don’t need to be a bird watching expert to get involved. This citizen science project makes it easy for everyone to take part.

The Aussie Bird Count app has a helpful field guide function for identifying birds based on their size, colour and key features. 

To get involved residents simply record birds they observe over 20 minutes and upload their results at aussiebirdcount.org.au or through the free Aussie Bird Count app.

There are a range of places in Shellharbour for spotting many different kinds of birds, such as Blackbutt Forest, Bass Point and along the shore of Lake Illawarra.

Last year 12,379 individual birds were observed during the Aussie Backyard Bird Count in Shellharbour, with an impressive 132 different bird species recorded.

The top three birds most frequently observed were Rainbow Lorikeets, House Sparrows, and Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos. Threatened bird species were also spotted in the Shellharbour area including Australian Pied Oystercatchers, Little Eagles and White-bellied Sea-Eagles.  

Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer said the Aussie Backyard Bird Count was a wonderful opportunity to explore the local area and help make an important contribution to this conservation initiative.

“This a fun family-friendly activity for our community to get involved with so I encourage people to get out in the fresh air and discover more about our local wildlife, while helping gather important data,” Mayor Homer.

For more information https://www.aussiebirdcount.org.au   

Media enquiries: Kelli Wells 0448 361 008