How to do a bird survey
Click here to access the surveys, download the instructions below, watch the instructional video on BIBYTV here, and read more about our journey to Birdata and the great new features of the survey here.
Welcome to the Birds in Backyards Surveys! These surveys form an important part of our research into the birds that live where people live and allow anyone with a backyard - large or small, urban or rural - to take part. The aims of our surveys are two-fold;
- To monitor changes in the distribution and abundance of either whole groups or individual birds that live where people live. In many cases we can relate these changes to the types of gardens that people own.
- To encourage people to take notice of what is going on around them and to connect to their local wildlife.
Become a Backyard Birder (it's free)
You don't need to be an expert bird-watcher to help out!
To take part in the survey, you will need to record your observations via BirdLife Australia's data portal Birdata. Membership is free, providing you with your own password that allows us to keep track of repeat records from the same location. Just remember to choose "Birds in Backyards" under the Record Survey tab. You can also choose to select a membership option that will allow you to receive email updates of research results and bird news.
What happens to the survey data?
Birds in Backyards uses the survey data in a variety of ways. We send results to Birds in Backyards members in our e-Newsletters, it is used in seminars and workshops conducted by Birds in Backyards staff around the country and will be updating the website regularly with survey findings. We also use survey results for specific projects such as our Powerful Owl project or at the request of different universities, schools or local councils.
Within the Birds in Backyards family we also have a number of students at different times who are using the databases as part of their projects. See our Research pages for examples of student projects that have been conducted.
Survey Help:
