The Annual Garden Bird Survey

How many sparrows, tui or blackbirds are in our gardens this winter? That is what the Annual Garden Bird Survey 26 June to 4 July in 2021 aims to find out.

It only takes one hour to do, during which the number of each kind of bird is counted in your suburban garden or local park or retirement village garden.

All information can be found on the website:

https://gardenbirdsurvey.landcareresearch.co.nz/

The website states:

“The New Zealand Garden Bird Survey takes place between 26 June and 4 July 2021. It’s a fantastic reason to spend time outdoors, and you’ll be doing your bit for science.

Healthy bird populations can indicate that the environment is healthy. We know lots about endangered native birds in the bush, but we don’t always know what’s happening in the populations of all the birds around us, particularly in urban and garden environments.

That’s why we need you to help us count them.

What we learn from information about the birds in your garden collected by you and your fellow citizen scientists helps our researchers make decisions to protect our environment. It also tells us if what we are doing in areas such as predator control is working.

Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research has led this nationwide initiative since 2007” .

The website has pictures of birds for identification and how to record the numbers and send to Landcare.

This is a great activity to do with grandchildren.