City twitchers all aflutter for National Bird Week

City “twitchers” are invited to celebrate National Bird Week by taking part in Australia's biggest citizen science project or by joining one of several bird-spotting strolls.

The Aussie Backyard Bird Count will run from Monday 22 October to Sunday 28 October during National Brid Week, and locals can use an app to count the birds they spot in their yard, park or while they're out walking.

Bird lovers can visit Aussie Backyard Bird Count and download the app to help them count the birds and provide valuable information on bird numbers in our city.

More than 260 City of Sydney residents took part in last year's bird count, helping the City track bird numbers in the local area.

The 2017 count recorded 8,452 individual bird sightings. The most common birds counted were the noisy miner, pigeon and silver seagull.

The Australian white ibis, also known as the 'bin chicken', was the fifth most spotted bird in the City, while Guardian Australia's 2017 bird of the year - the Australian magpie - came in at ninth spot.

Less common sightings included the white-browed scrubwren, red-browed finch and the sacred kingfisher. At last count there were 76 bird species observed in the local area, compared to 70 in 2011.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said she looked forward to hearing about what birds may have found a home in Sydneysiders' backyards.

"Everyone gets a kick out of unexpected wildlife sightings in the city, and it's fantastic to see suitable habitats that support our wildlife springing up in our parks, schools, balconies and backyards," the Lord Mayor said.

"A surprising number of wild animals live in our city, from endangered long-nosed bandicoots and grey-headed flying foxes to falcons and red bellied black snakes. It's no wonder that Sydney's bird count participants are pleasantly surprised by the variety of birds that fly, hop and soar through our city each day."

City workshops and guided walks during National Bird Week:

Wildlife walk by night - Sydney Park, Friday 26 October, 7.30pm-9pm A night-time adventure to find nocturnal birds.

Guided walk and talk on habitat demonstration garden - John Street Reserve, Redfern, Sunday 27 October, 10am-11.30pm Providing tips on bird habitat creation techniques in your own space.

Birds and breakfast - Sydney Park, Sunday 28 October, 8am-10am An early morning stroll through Sydney Park wetlands to spot birds that call this area home.

For media inquiries or images, contact Alex Cauchi. Phone mobile 0467 803 815 or email [email protected]

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Jack Begbie. Phone 0481 759 580 or email [email protected]