BIRD enthusiasts from around NSW, including the Mid North Coast, participated in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count and National Bird Week.
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In first 48 hours, NSW residents submitted 2,532 checklists to help BirdLife Australia count more than 400,000 birds across the country. It was done by way of a smart phone app, named the ‘Aussie Bird Count’.
One person who participated was Laurieton resident Peter West, a bird lover for more than 45 years.
“My favourite bird is the superb parrot that lives at Cowra. They don’t appear in Port Macquarie but they are beautiful.”
Mr West was worried about the rapid decline in birds, including common icons like the kookaburra.
“It is sad as they are an important part of our environment. Most of this is because habitats are being removed.”
The count has shown the magpie is the most sighted bird, something that doesn’t surprise Mr West.
“They are very common, along with the rainbow lorikeet. Magpies are everywhere, and the thing is that everyone knows them,” he said.
“Some people may not be aware of some of the birds we have here. Some of those include the eastern curlew or the Australasian bittern.
“The other two rare birds that I’ve spotted in Port Macquarie are the swift parrot and the regent honeyeater which are both critically endangered.
“There are roughly 350 in existence in the whole world and we had one in Lake Cathie for two months earlier this year, so that is magnificent to have one appear on the Mid North Coast.”
The bird count ran from October 17-23.
“By swooping in and taking the lead, the Australian Magpie clearly demonstrates the scientific value of the Aussie Backyard Bird Count and how it adds to data collected by our other programs such as the State of Australia’s Birds report,” BirdLife Australia’s Sean Dooley said.
“While the State of Australia’s Birds report indicated that Magpies were in decline in some parts of Australia, that data tended to have been collected from rural and bush areas and conservation reserves. It will be interesting to see how the large numbers of sightings of the Magpie in urban areas through the Aussie Bird Count compares to what is going on elsewhere in the country.”
Matt Attard
I was raised in Port Macquarie and consider myself a true Port local. I'm a die-hard rugby league fan and don't mind taking a photo or two. I'd love to hear from you, so please contact me at any time.
I was raised in Port Macquarie and consider myself a true Port local. I'm a die-hard rugby league fan and don't mind taking a photo or two. I'd love to hear from you, so please contact me at any time.
