October
31, 2017 7.05pm GMT
Mark
Baker/Reuters
Research
Ecologist, Deakin University
Disclosure
statement
Kerryn
Herman is a research ecologist employed by BirdLife Australia. BirdLife
Australia is Australia's longest running conservation organisation and works on
the conservation and advocacy of Australia's native birds and their habitats.
The
Conversation UK receives funding from Hefce, Hefcw, SAGE, SFC, RCUK, The
Nuffield Foundation, The Ogden Trust, The Royal Society, The Wellcome Trust,
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Alliance for Useful Evidence, as well as
sixty five university members.
The
fourth Aussie Backyard Bird
Count has just ended, with nearly 2 million birds from 635 species
submitted to the BirdLife Australia app. The count, which is in its fourth
year, has created a national database of birds found in our backyards.
We
don’t know yet exactly how many people participated this year, but more than
60,000 people submitted checklists in 2016. Participants span the whole
country, though participation is highest in our urban areas. By surveying our
backyards (rather than “good” bird spots), these citizen scientists provide
ecologists – like me – with information from urban areas we would not otherwise
sample.
This
includes data on a range of common bird species that are not frequently
analysed because these species are believed to be secure. One of the most
surprising results is a decline in the frequency of occurrence of the laughing
kookaburra across southeast Australia
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