As BirdLife Australia’s annual Aussie bird count runs through midnight Sunday, tens of thousands of participants across the country have already tallied more than 3.7 million birds via the official app. With educational integration in classrooms like Wollongong’s Cedars Christian College, the snapshot is on track to surpass the 2025 totals.
Students Track Local Birds at Cedars Christian College
Maths lessons at Cedars Christian College in Wollongong took an avian turn this week as teacher Karen Jooste blended the national count directly into the curriculum for her year 2 students. Using a tree-lined creek running through the school grounds, the class tracked a resident family of tawny frogmouths with two fluffy chicks, nesting magpies and magpie larks, wood ducks, pacific black ducks, king parrots, rainbow lorikeets, and a local bowerbird constructing a bright blue bower.
Jooste created a custom tally sheet with pictures to aid identification. Students conducted counts during lunch breaks and grabbed bird books and cushions to read under the trees during free reading time.
“There’s never any shortage of birds,” Jooste said. “We really do have a very unique school environment, with the trees and the creek, so I want to make the most of it.”
BirdLife Australia Reports Higher Participation than Last Year
BirdLife Australia’s Sean Dooley noted that participation is tracking above last year’s figures, which saw 64,000 Australians count more than 5 million birds. The Australian magpie, rainbow lorikeet, and noisy miner ranked among the most commonly spotted species during that count.
The event relies on a smartphone application featuring a built-in bird finder that displays 30 commonly recorded species within a 10-kilometer radius. Users spotting unlisted birds can search by size, shape, and color characteristics after spending 20 minutes outside.
| Metric | Last Year’s Aussie Bird Count | Current Count |
|---|---|---|
| Total Participants | 64,000 | Tens of thousands (Ongoing) |
| Birds Logged | 5 million+ | 3.7 million+ |
| Top Species Observed | Australian magpie, rainbow lorikeet, noisy miner | Pending final weekend tally |
Dooley described the weekend participation surge as “the six o’clock swill version of birding,” noting that a massive influx of surveys typically arrives in the final hours before the Sunday midnight deadline. He emphasized that observers participate from cities, remote communities, outback properties, and offshore islands alike.
The Aussie Bird Count is on so why not connect with nature and your photography skills this weekend?Local Engagement Officer Tim Field is working with @NSWDCCEEW_Water to participate in bird identification and recording this week near Euston, NSW. https://t.co/xI3EgAHtR9 pic.twitter.com/uFOh0HtvzB
“The thing we want people to discover is that you don’t need to be in a remote national park to see birds,” Dooley said. He added that the gamified aspect of the app encourages younger demographics to engage with the real world.
Dooley encouraged participants to keep counting right up to the end of the event window, noting, “We just want to spread the love. Know that you’re not the only birder in the village.”
