Aussie Backyard Bird Count 2017

 

Bird Week    Aussie Backyard Bird Count October 2017

Australia counted 1,972,250 birds in the 2017 Aussie Backyard Bird Count. 

The Top 10 birds Counted Australia wide were:

1. Rainbow Lorikeet
2. Noisy Miner
3. Australian Magpie
4. Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
5. Galah
6. House Sparrow
7. Silver Gull
8. Welcome Swallow
9. Common Myna
10. Red Wattlebird

For more Information on the 2017 count, click here

Cowra Council and the Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee once again took part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count run by Birdlife Australia.

From 23 to 29 October 2017, during National Bird Week, thousands of bird-loving Australians would have been found in backyards of all shapes and sizes spotting their local birds and discovering how they are coping in the spaces we share.

Participants were asked to spend 20 minutes in their favourite outdoor space and record all birds seen on the Aussie Bird Count App (or website https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/). Throughout the week, participants could instantly see live statistics on how many people are taking part and the number of birds and species counted both locally and nationally.

The project aims to promote awareness and support for Australian birds by engaging the community in the natural world while getting to know the birds that live where we live. It also enables the community to have an active role in researching Australia’s beautiful birds and the data collected from their bird count will provide BirdLife Australia with important information allowing them to form a more detailed picture of how Australian bird species are faring.

Top 10 Birds counted in Cowra in 2016 were:

1. House Sparrow*
2. Australian Magpie
3. Common Starling*
4. Sulphur crested Cockatoo
5. Superb Fairy-wren
6. Galah
7. Common Blackbird*
8. Crested Pigeon
9. Red-rumped Parrot
10. Willy Wagtail

*Introduced species

To read the full report from Cowra's 2016 Aussie Backyard Bird Count prepared by Birdlife Australia, click here.

The full report detailing Cowra's 2017 Aussie Backyard Bird Count will be available in early 2018.

Drawing Competition

Cowra Council and the Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee ran a drawing competition during National Bird Week, where children from years 3 to 6 entered an array of awesome and colourful drawings of Australian birds. The drawings were displayed at Cowra Council and the Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee had a tough time selecting winners from the impressive drawings on display entered by Cowra's local young artists.   

Prizes were awarded for each year group, 1st place winners received a 10 visit family pass to the Cowra Aquatic Centre, 2nd place winners received a $25 Cowra Cash Card and 3rd place winners received a $15 Cowra Cash Card.

Below are the winning entries from Cowra’s Bird Week Drawing Competition 2017.  

1st – Year 3 – Koby Dluzniak, Wyangala Dam Public School, ‘Great Palm Cockatoo’	2nd – Year 3 – Samantha Van Zyl, Cowra Public School, ‘Rainbow Lorikeet’	3rd – Year  3 – Angel Ocheng, Cowra Public School, ‘Fairy Penguin’
1st – Year 4 – Alice Mulligan, Cowra Public School, ‘Black Swan’	2nd – Year 4 – Lorissa Wood, Cowra Public School, ‘Pink Robin’	3rd – Year 4 – Oliver Krause, Cowra Public School, ‘Lyrebird’
1st – Year 5 – Gemma Smith, Wyangala Dam Public School, ‘Superb Parrot’	2nd – Year 5 – Orlando Perry, St Raphaels Catholic School, 'Superb Parrot'
1st – Year 6 – Nakeya Ryan, Cowra Public School, ‘Eastern Yellow Robin’	2nd – Year 6 – Hannah Stone, Mulyan Public School, ‘Crimson Rosella in a Eucalyptus Tree’	3rd – Year 6 – Zavier Ryan, Cowra Public School, ‘Royal Spoonbill’
Outstanding Drawing Award – Josee Bruncher,                St Raphaels Catholic School, ‘Rainbow Bee Eater’