Birds to look out for in September

Birds to look out for in September

What birds might you see this month? Here are a few to look out for…

• Large flocks of migratory shorebirds returning to north-western Australia from Northern Hemisphere breeding grounds  
• Flocks of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters on passage along the Great Dividing Range 
• Short-tailed Shearwaters returning to their breeding colonies in Bass Strait
• Return of Dollarbirds in south-eastern Queensland
• Eastern Koels and Channel-billed Cuckoos arriving back in NSW
• Arrival of Barn Swallows in northern Australia
• Swooping Australian Magpies 
• Brown Songlarks arriving in south-eastern Australia  
• Fairy Martins returning to southern states
• Mistletoebirds arriving in ACT
• Regent Bowerbirds displaying in rainforests across eastern Australia
• Rufous Fantails migrating to south-eastern Australia to breed
• Sacred Kingfishers arriving in southern Australia

Interesting historical records from September:

2/9/2006  Antarctic Tern  |  Kangaroo Island, SA  |  2nd record for SA  

3/9/2004  Rose-backed Starling  |  Lake Eda, WA  |  1st record for Australia  

5/9/2002  Gurney’s Eagle  |  Saibai Island, QLD |  4th record for Australia  

11/9/2002  Common Kingfisher  |  Christmas Island  |  1st record for Australia  

12/9/1967  Whiskered Tern  |  near Ouse, TAS  |  1st record for Tasmania  

14/9/1986  Bulwer’s Petrel  |  off Cape Nelson, Vic.  |  2nd record for Australia  

20/9/1986  Hudsonian Godwit  |  Dry Creek Saltfields, SA  |  1st record for SA 

Tell us what birds you see this month

Spring has sprung, which means it’s spring survey time!

Over September and October, simply spend 20 minutes in your backyard (or nearby outdoor space) and count how many birds you see of each species and the kind of habitat they’re using.

Then, log your survey on Birdata either online or through the app – you can do as many surveys as you like, as often as you like.

This data helps us track the health of Australia’s urban birds and monitor the impact of our gardens, outdoor spaces and behaviour, so every survey counts!

Find out more about Birds in Backyards seasonal surveys, or watch our handy video tutorial below to find out how to submit a survey of your own.