The Rainbow Lorikeet is top of the most spotted bird in NSW list.

The bird’s top ranking was found after the 2019 Aussie Backyard Bird Count - one of Australia’s biggest citizen-science events, held from 21-27 October.

Hundreds of enthusiastic Lismore residents took part in the national count, with 772 checklists were submitted, compared with 224 in Ballina Shire and 114 in Byron. 

In total, 232 species were sighted, and 24,759 individual birds counted.

The national event enabled everyone from school children, families and community groups to participate in capturing a snapshot of Australia’s birds, to help increase our understanding of where species are found and better manage habitat.

In its sixth year, the Aussie Backyard Bird Count saw record-breaking numbers of people involved who counted nearly 3.4 million birds across the nation, compared to 2018’s 2.7 million. 

This year, the White Ibis made it into the top ten most commonly seen species, supporting the understanding that birds are being impacted by the drought in regional areas and are moving towards wetter areas near the coast. 

Results also show that several other dry country birds including the White-winged Triller, Crimson Chat and Pied Honeyeater were recorded in areas they aren’t normally found.

Also, the Rainbow Lorikeet held onto its top spot by a big margin with more than 400,000 counted across Australia.

The rise of the Rainbow Lorikeet highlights the changes in Aussie backyards over the past half century, with traditional European-style cottage gardens making way for native backyards which provide the perfect place for these nectar-loving birds to forage on the flowers of eucalypts, bottle-brushes and grevilleas.

If you would like to start planting a native garden, grab a free copy of My Local Native Garden Guide at the Council’s Corporate Centre on Oliver Ave, Goonellabah, or at the Lismore Regional Library.

A big shout out to all of you who participated and made Lismore’s bird count a great success.