Aussie Bird Count 2024 ambassador highlights

One, two, I do!

Our Aussie Bird Count ambassadors share their 2024 Count highlights in the upcoming issue of Australian Birdlife magazine.

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As you can imagine, the Aussie Bird Count is a big week for us here at BirdLife Australia: answering registration queries, talking to media, helping our Ambassadors promote the event, and of course, submitting those bird counts. But this year, a couple of our counters may lay claim to having a bigger week than us. In 2024, we had our first Aussie Bird Count proposal!

While on a weekend getaway at Paperbark Camp in Woollamia, keen bird lovers Cal Laker and Holly Finch were doing a bird count when Cal got down on one knee and popped the question.

“We were trying our best to spot birds in the dense bushland and recognise their calls, and getting so excited when we added one to the count – it just felt like the perfect moment,” Cal relates.

“When the emotions had calmed down a little, we even tried to spot a few more birds!”

Now that’s the dedication we like to see!

For this year’s count we were also delighted to have our biggest team of Bird Count Ambassadors on board – a total of 14 – and they certainly went above and beyond in sharing their love or birds, and the importance of a citizen-science event like this one. We smashed last year’s total birds counted, and raised a record amount of money – more than $107,000 in donations to the Bird Count.

We welcomed back previous ambassadors Costa Georgiadis, the much-loved host of Gardening Australia, comedian Geraldine Hickey, actor Sam Cotton, Independent Senator David Pocock, and educator and podcaster Kirsty Costa. Their enthusiasm for sharing their love of birds, and encouraging others to get involved, was wonderful to see.

“The Aussie Bird Count has a special place in my heart,” confides Kirsty Costa.

“In fact, there may not have been a Weekend Birder podcast without it! When I first participated, I discovered a hidden world right outside my door. The Count was a catalyst for my birdwatching journey by building my knowledge and confidence. The citizen science aspect is particularly inspiring, as it allows everyday people to contribute meaningfully to bird conservation.”

Kirsty has spent 2024 pursuing her own Local Big Year challenge (see ‘Keeping it Local’, Autumn 2024 Australian Birdlife), and excitingly, she reached her 110^th species during the Bird Count – a Shining Bronze-Cuckoo.

“It was perched low on a branch and singing its heart out. I’d never seen one so close before. It was an unforgettable moment.”

During the Count, Kirsty was able to join BirdLife’s Sean Dooley and fellow ambassador Costa for an Instagram Live, where they counted together from their respective locations. She rose early each morning to get a bird count in before work, and often bumped into others doing the same.

“We would share stories about what we’d seen. This seems to happen each year, and I really love the way the Count creates and connects a community of bird lovers.”

Our ‘newbie’ ambassadors for this year were a no less impressive bunch. From Gardening Australia we had Hannah Moloney, permaculture and sustainability guru, comedian and actor Steph Tisdale, urban ecologist Dr Kylie Soanes, Soph and Bridge (the Wildlife Twins), podcaster Cesar Puechmarin, 13-year-old conservationist Spencer Hitchen and the adventurous team of Two Birders, Two Bikes – Leo and Cezary – who were interviewed for our last issue (Spring 2024).

Though Cesar was pushing for the title of ‘Ambassacondor’ (sorry we couldn’t make that happen, Cesar!), he threw himself into the role with characteristic gusto – anyone who’s listened to his podcast Death By Birding can appreciate his quirky, hilarious and irreverent take on birdwatching.

“The Aussie Bird Count is such an iconic event – even my least birdy friends message me about it every year. I feel like it’s the single most inclusive and popularised citizen-science project in Australia, and therefore I was so excited to be involved in encouraging others to take part.”

Joining online events from his home in the subtropical rainforests of Queensland’s Mount Glorious, just outside of Brisbane, Cesar was up for anything, using his social media savvy to bring the joy of the Count to a whole new demographic of potential bird lovers. He hosted Costa Georgiadis in Brisbane for some quality birdwatching and Bird Count promotion, and joined fellow ambassadors for an Instagram Live event. When it came to the Count, Cesar wasn’t above a little friendly persuasion.

“My main highlight was forcibly ‘encouraging’ my non-birdy friends into contributing. Consider me a bird evangelist. I’ll be door knocking in no time. ‘Excuse me, ma’am, have you heard the good news? Migratory shorebirds have arrived back at the local roost’.”

Bridget Thomson of the Wildlife Twins – the zany duo bringing their passion for wildlife to the people through live shows that feature their Fauna Family – saw the Count as a way to extend their considerable expertise to the feathered citizens of Australian fauna.

“We don’t have a lot of knowledge around birds, compared to other wildlife, so this was a great opportunity to learn. We have a local Forest Kingfisher that hangs our property, but it was only through the Bird Count that we finally identified it, and noticed its favourite spots to hang around. Such a stunning and charming bird!”

They inspired friends and social media followers to join them, which resonates strongly with what they try to achieve in their job and daily life – to get people involved with wildlife.

“When you’re all working towards the same cause it really feels like you are on a big team. And that’s really important, as actions around conservation can feel a bit worthless sometimes. But when a group of people are doing it together, it feels like you can really make a difference.  Then to finish the count and be told that 4 million birds were counted this year, well, it just confirms that feeling. Well done everyone!”

And while our vetters are busily combing through the results to clear up any misidentified records, early results suggest that though our top three counted birds remain the same – Rainbow Lorikeet, Noisy Miner and Australian Magpie – the Little Corella may have finally made it into the top ten, after coming in at eleventh for the last few Counts.

Connecting people with nature, and with one another in a shared passion for birds, is what the Aussie Bird Count is all about. That’s why it was so important that nearly half of this year’s registered counters were people new to BirdLife Australia who were joining the Count for the first time. Spreading the bird word – and educating people about the threats facing our birds and what needs to be done – is crucial for ensuring the diversity and health of our bird populations into the future.