BirdLife Australia in Carlton, Victoria, Australia | Environmental conservation organisation

BirdLife Australia

Locality: Carlton, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 1300 730 075

Address: Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton 3053 Carlton, VIC, Australia

Website: https://birdlife.org.au/

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• Environmental conservation organisation

25.01.2022 The 2021 BirdLife Australia calendar has almost landed! Pre-order yours today! Get 2021 off to a flying start with our Birds of a Feather themed calendar, featuring stunning portraits of some of our cosiest and cutest birds. Social distancing doesn't apply to the bird world! After what has been a long and lonely 2020 for many of us, we hope these cuddly critters bring some joy to your home while supporting BirdLife Australia’s important conservation work.... Pre-order your calendar today at: https://store.birdlife.org.au/ Australasian Gannets by Sandy Goddard

24.01.2022 A little flock of finches to wish you the best of the festive season - from all of us at BirdLife Australia! We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of our supporters - who support our precious and wonderful bird life in so many ways! Whether you have planted or protected bird habitat, counted the birds around you, made a submission, added a bird bath to your garden, made sure your dog is on a lead at the beach, donated money or sat on a committee - we THANK YOU! ... We would also like to thank all of our new followers who joined us here BirdLife Australia this year - welcome to the flock Double-barred Finches by Jan Wegener

24.01.2022 Noisy and adorable by Patrick Tomkins. 2020’s special theme was ‘Fairy-wrens, emu-wrens, and grasswrens’ and this charismatic photograph of Splendid Fairy-wrens taken in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, VIC is a well deserving winner! Patrick writes After a week camping with these birds, they had become so accustomed to my presence that they completely ignored me while they went about their business, often within arms-reach. This is the best part of bird photography for me -... when the birds let you into their special little world. Each year, the special theme category raises funds for BirdLife Australia’s conservation work. In 2020, thanks to the volume of entries, we will be able to donate a sizeable amount of the funds raised to support BirdLife Australia's Preventing Extinctions Grey Range Thick-billed Grasswren project to help bring this critically endangered bird back from the brink.. https://www.birdlife.org.au/projects/preventing-extinctions Congratulations to @pattomkinswildlife and to all of the prize winners and shortlisted entrants and to BirdLife Photography for an incredible comp this year.

24.01.2022 A huge thank you to everyone who supported our online national day of action for World Wetlands Day 2021! Thousands of you shared images of your favourite wetlands and wetland birds across social media, getting both #WorldWetlandsDay and #RespectRamsar trending on Twitter. Hopefully the Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley got the message too! As you know, World Wetlands Day 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar treaty to protect significant wetland... sites. Yesterday’s call to action brought together thousands of voices from around Australia, calling for the protection of all wetlands. Below is a gallery of just some of the hundreds of gorgeous wetland pics we received from you enjoy the serenity! Add your voice to join the fight to save one of Australia’s most important Ramsar-listed wetlands, Moreton Bay, from being destroyed by Walker Group’s proposal to build a luxury apartment complex at Toondah Harbour. Visit https://www.actforbirds.org/savetoondah In order: photos by Ambika Bone, Louie Lou, Katie White, Jasmine Boehm, Leander Mitchell, Robyn Caddy, Michelle Sinclair & Ian Bradshaw

24.01.2022 The Aussie Backyard Bird Count starts tomorrow! To get you primed and ready for your first count in the morning, we thought we would share our handy visual guide. We just love how Chief Counter @davidpocock summed it up in a few easy steps: ... "Download the app. Sit outside for 20 minutes. Log what birds you see. Don't know what bird it is? There's a Field Guide/Bird Finder in the app!" Then hit submit. DONE! Of course you can submit your sightings on our website too. And a heads up! We are launching LIVE on Monday with our Aussie Backyard Bird Count Broadcast - live on Facebook and YouTube! *We'll post the live video link to the Facebook event page when we kick off on Monday, so keep your eyes peeled for that* Run time by timezone: 12pm 2pm AEDT (NSW/ACT/VIC/TAS) 11:30am 1:30pm ACDT (SA) 11am 1pm AEST (QLD) 10:30am 12:30pm ACST (NT) 9am 11am AWST (WA) *Don't worry if you miss the livestream - we'll be putting the video online for you to catch up later* Register now! Head to our website - link in the comments #AussieBirdCount #BirdLifeOz #UrbanBirds #BirdsinBackyards #Birdata #CitizenScience #CitSciOz #cuppawiththebirds #birdingathome See more

23.01.2022 Thank you Minister Ley! Together with thousands of Australians across the country we celebrate #WorldWetlandsDay. Our 66 Ramsar wetlands are vital bird breeding and feeding sites yet 50 years on, many of these wetlands are facing threats to their existence from destructive coastal development, pollution from runoff, invasive weeds and feral animals, and inappropriate water regimes. It will take national leadership to address these threats and protect and restore our preciou...s wetlands and the birds that call them home. We were thrilled with your decision last year to protect the values of Queensland’s Great Sandy Strait Ramsar Wetland, including one of the most important migratory shorebird sites in Australia, by rejecting the Turtle Cove development proposal. We look forward to working with you to protect all of Australia’s precious and irreplaceable Ramsar Wetlands. Sussan Ley MP

22.01.2022 The Morrison Government has approved a $3.6 billion gas project in the Pilliga home of the Painted Honeyeater and other woodland birds. The Pilliga is near Narrabri in northern New South Wales and is a unique landscape scored with sandstone gorges - and the largest native forest west of the Great Dividing Range. It is one of nature’s hotspots - the Pilliga Key Biodiversity Area. And no place for gas fields! The Pilliga landscape is already under pressure from more-frequen...t and intense droughts through climate change, and Sussan Ley's decision to allow fracking against the wishes of much of the local community amounts to a disregard for our native wildlife, says the Key Biodiversity Area Program Leader at BirdLife Australia, Dr Golo Maurer. The gas field will actively destroy key habitat in over 800 separate locations, while turning up the heat for the whole of the Pilliga. From space, the Pilliga will look like ‘swiss cheese’; clearing for the wells will fragment the forest and open it up to weeds, feral predators and Noisy Miners. As our nature laws are being debated in the senate, we at Birdlife Australia feel that this episode is yet another example of Australia’s nature laws not providing effective protection to Australian birds and other wildlife and the places they live. Please join us and pledge to stand together to stop extinctions by urging the government to strengthen not weaken Australia’s nature laws. Take a stand here: https://www.actforbirds.org/stopextinctions Painted Honeyeater by Chris Tzaros

22.01.2022 Featured in our February e-news Letter-winged Kites! This kite can be confused with the more familiar Black-shouldered Kite. After all, they’re both white birds of prey with grey upperparts and black markings on the wings, but there are some key differences. The Letter-winged Kite has a distinct mark on its outstretched wings, shaped like the letter ‘M’ (hence its name) and it has a distinctly owl-like face with large eyes, reflecting its crepuscular habits - they like to ...hunt in the fading light at the end of the day. These elusive birds are seldom seen, as their core range is the open, arid and semi-arid savanna and grasslands in the inland of Australia. Here, they hunt for rodents and small marsupials on the ground, first hovering, then dropping vertically, feet-first onto their prey. A favoured food is the Long-haired Rat, whose numbers often build up after rain as part of the famed boom-and-bust cycle of the inland. Letter-winged Kites are unusual among Australian birds of prey in that they are quite social, breeding in colonies and roosting communally, and they often remain in these groups when they disperse. As well as this species, we profile the Rufous Bristlebird, and of course feature all the latest in bird conservation news, events & activities. Whether you are new to our page or a long term supporter, we invite you to enjoy your enews https://birdlife.org.au/images/uploads/e-news/2021/february/ Letter-winged Kite by David Stowe

21.01.2022 Migratory Shorebirds need habitat to rest and feed after their epic migration donate this #GivingTuesday to help #savetoondahharbour! Today is #GivingTuesday, and millions of people around the world are donating to the causes that matter the most to them. For us, that’s bird conservation! We are proud to share with you this moving video, featuring stunning footage of Toondah Harbour and its shorebirds and just why our migratory shorebirds need your help this #GivingTuesd...ay. International travellers like the Eastern Curlew have just returned home to Australia’s shores after a gruelling long-haul flight from their northern breeding grounds. Each year, they make an epic return journey of up to 26,000 km across the world. In fact, birds like the Critically Endangered Eastern Curlew will fly further than the distance to the moon in its lifetime! But habitat loss and coastal development are pushing migratory shorebirds like these towards extinction. Even if they survive their epic annual flights, they may have nowhere safe to rest and feed when they finally reach Australia. If waterside apartments are built by a private developer on their mudflats at Toondah in Queensland, we fear we could soon lose them altogether. This #GivingTuesday, can you donate to help protect our most threatened birds and their habitats through practical, science-based conservation action? Your support can help protect and restore vital coastal and wetland homes for migratory shorebirds. Thank you for saving birds this #GivingTuesday, and for standing together to prevent extinctions. Donate today at: https://support.birdlife.org.au/donate Video by @earthxpression and images by Duade Paton and Chris Purnell

21.01.2022 There’s a lot going on in the news at the moment, but the Morrison Government is busy taking advantage of these distractions to push through unpopular changes to the EPBC Act weakening protection for Australia’s birds and wildlife and the habitats that support them by handing off responsibility for environmental approvals to state governments. In doing so, the government is washing its hands of responsibility to protect Australia’s precious natural heritage. That’s why ...the Places You Love Alliance (PYL) has been just as busy campaigning to stop this environmental vandalism. As a foundation member of the Places You Love Alliance, BirdLife Australia is appalled at the Federal Government’s proposal to abandon its responsibilities in overseeing environmental protection, instead handing its duties over to the states and territories. In a disturbing revelation, an audit report commissioned by the PYL Alliance found that no state or territory law meets current national standards to protect matters of national environmental significance. This audit report proves that state and territory laws are not designed to specifically address these matters, and are in desperate need of reform to meet the new national standards. Any handover of federal responsibilities to the states and territories would only be lowering standards for the protection of the environment. The audit report details how threatened species such as the Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo, South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Swift Parrot and migratory shorebirds will all be hit hard if the Federal Government is successful in passing on their responsibilities. We need stronger nature laws, not weaker ones! Please join us in demanding nature laws that actually protect nature. We can stand together to stop the roll-back of environmental protection. You can read the full report of the PYL audit here: https://bit.ly/2H4dkCz Carnaby's Black-cockatoo by Tania Meuzelaar

20.01.2022 Aussie Backyard Bird Count prize winners announced! Of course, as we excitedly announce the winners, we wish to thank each and every one of you who submitted a count in 2020 our biggest yet! Our top prize of a pair of Swarovski Optik EL 8x32 Swarovision binoculars goes to S. Piazzola, WA. Congratulations they are a simply beautiful pair of bins! C. Sharpe from NSW has won the custom Build your own flock print, kindly donated by artists EggPicnic. They will get to c...hoose the bird species that decorate this charming line-up. We have two lucky winners of the beautiful Marini Ferlazzo pack including book marks, fridge magnets, a hard cover notebook and a tote bag from the talented Ferlazzo family. Congratulations to M. Thackray, WA and C. Knight, Vic. And last but not least, we have five winners of the enamel pin trio packs, featuring our latest designs from BirdLife Australia. Enjoy your pins P. Hayward, WA; A. Johnson, Vic; N. Hunnisett, SA; G. Munro, Vic; C. Molloy, Qld ! Please note: all prize winners have been individually contacted by email. We thank @swarovskioptik_birding @Eggpicnic and @mariniferlazzo for their generous support for the 2020 Aussie Backyard Bird Count Eggpicnic and Marini Ferlazzo donate a portion of their proceeds to BirdLife Australia all year round: a purchase of their art gifts this Christmas supports our vital conservation work! As enthusiastic citizen scientists - many of have been asking for more detail regarding the results and key findings of the Aussie Backyard Bird Count in 2020. We love your enthusiasm! While we have reported the top ten birds, our team is still very busy analysing and interpreting the count data - rest assured we will report back! Watch this space... #BirdLifeOz #UrbanBirds #BirdsinBackyards #Birdata #CitizenScience #CitSciOz #cuppawiththebirds #birdingathome#artforconservation

20.01.2022 Australian Fairy Tern Behaviour by Claire Greenwell winner of the 2020 Birdlife Australia Photography Awards ‘Portfolio Winner’ category. Over the past two years, Ternologist Claire Greenwell has closely studied and photographed the behaviour, history and feeding of Fairy Terns. I aim to use the knowledge from my research along with my images to highlight the plight of these vulnerable birds and other beach-nesting species, she writes. Claire’s research has helped inf...orm policy and efforts to conserve this threatened species, but her photographs have captured our hearts and wowed our judges too! These stunning portraits of Fairy Terns feeding and engaging in aerial courtship display were all taken while Claire was documenting her research and perfectly capture the antics of these charismatic birds. Congratulations to Claire, and to all of the prize winners and shortlisted entrants and BirdLife Photography Australia for an incredible comp this year. To see Claire’s portfolio of images go to https://www.birdlifephotoaward.org.au/gallery-winners-2020

20.01.2022 We have the most wonderful prizes on offer for this year's Aussie Backyard Bird Count! We are thrilled to offer the chance to win a pair of stunning 8 x 32 binoculars... Anyone who has had the opportunity to use binos from Swarovski ( or "swaros" in #birdnerd talk!) knows that they really are a step above the everyday... Participants are also in the running to win a gorgeous print from much-loved artists Eggpicnic - with a twist! Choose 5 of your favourite Aussie birds t...o go into your own custom creative art print! We also have beautiful Marini Ferlazzo pack including book marks, fridge magnets, a hard cover notebook and a tote bag from the talented Ferlazzo family. We thank SWAROVSKI Eggpicnic and Marini Ferlazzo for their generous support for the 2020 Aussie Backyard Bird Count! There is still time to get involved! Head to https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/ Getting excited as we count down together? Don't forget to use the hashtag #AussieBirdCount! #BirdLifeOz #UrbanBirds #BirdsinBackyards #Birdata #CitizenScience #CitSciOz #cuppawiththebirds #birdingathome

19.01.2022 Sea-eagle steals march on one-day series with super-six! Colin captured this absolute cracker of a shot on Christmas Day! "A White-bellied Sea-Eagle heading off to or from a cricket match with the game ball. This was taken over Lake Macquarie and I expect that the floating white cricket ball sufficiently resembled the belly of a floating dead fish for the bird to be fooled," Colin writes. ... White-bellied Sea-Eagles are known as 'generalist carnivores' - they will hunt and eat fish, large waterbirds, turtles, rabbits, flying-foxes and just about anything available. They are also partial to scavenging for food. Ravens and crows are renowned for stealing golf balls and it is unclear whether this is for their own amusement or for food. There is footage on the internet of an American Bald Eagle stealing and then returning a golf ball to a surprised punter - but cricket balls!? Has anyone else observed this fascinating behaviour? by @bush_tracker - thanks for sharing your image with us Colin! @birdsinbackyards It is #summerbirding time! As summer unfolds, whether home or away, we can continue to rely on birds to bring us joy, calm and connection to the natural world. https://www.networkbirdlife.org/birding-at-home

19.01.2022 If you’re a plover lover, here’s a pic of the week for you! Queensland photographer David White took this photo of his local Masked Lapwing as he launched his boat on the Daintree River. There is a resident pair that owns the boat ramp, he says. These guys show little fear and sometimes you can even see them chasing crocs away! Masked Lapwings are also known as the Spur-winged Plover, because each wing is armed with a yellow spur at the ‘elbow’ (or carpal joint). Here you... can see their distinctive large yellow wattles up close! Love them or hate them, Masked Lapwings are an Australian icon. If you’d like to support our critical conservation work with birds across the country, please donate today at https://support.birdlife.org.au/donate Masked Lapwing by Solar Whisper Daintree River Crocodile & Wildlife Cruises

18.01.2022 Check out the wonderful array of folks who will be counting with us next week in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count! We are delighted to welcome aboard twelve Chief Counters in 2020! Chris Bath, William McInnes, Myf Warhurst and John Williamson participated last year - welcome back team ... And a huge birdy welcome to our new Counters - Costa Georgiadis, Geraldine Hickey, Lewis Garnham, David Pocock, Danielle Griffith, Melissa Hickey, Paul "PK" Kennedy and Michael Veitch. We can't wait to count with you! Our Chiefs are a diverse bunch of journalists, comedians, sports legends, gardening superstars, actors and Instagrammers - and we will be sharing their #AussieBirdCount experience across the socials all next week. Haven't registered yet? Head on over to https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/ Paul Kennedy's stories Costa Georgiadis Official John Williamson Michael Veitch David Pocock Geraldine Hickey Lewis Garnham

18.01.2022 It’s #SummerBirding time, and these two distinctive cuckoos are common visitors to Queensland and NSW First up migrating all the way from New Guinea! The Channel-billed Cuckoo (also known as the Stormbird) is the largest of Australia’s cuckoos. These unusual looking birds are parasitic, laying their eggs in the nests of other large birds usually currawongs, magpies, crows and ravens. They have a distinctively large down-curved bill, and are notorious for calling all nig...ht long during the breeding season. Channel-billed Cuckoos migrate to northern and eastern Australia from New Guinea and Indonesia each spring, and head back north in autumn. The Eastern Koel is another large migratory cuckoo that visits Australia to breed. They are more often heard than seen with the male’s loud, repetitive coo-ee song often echoing all through the night. Males are easily identified by their entirely glossy black plumage, tinged with blue and green, and striking red eye. The female is spotted with brown and white and fine black bars and has a black crown. Like the Channel-billed Cuckoo, Eastern Koels visit Australia in spring, travelling all the way from New Guinea and Indonesia to breed in northern and eastern Australia. They are a common sound of suburban Sydney, but a few also venture into Victoria and South Australia. For all your #SummerBirding needs visit https://www.networkbirdlife.org/birding-at-home Channel-billed Cuckoo by Mick McKean, female Eastern Koel by Paul Thorogood and male Eastern Koel by Anna Calvert

18.01.2022 Calling all Lyrebird lovers we need you! The Superb Lyrebird has long been a familiar and beloved occupant of south-east Australia's forests but since the devastating Black Summer bushfires, this Australian icon may now be threatened with extinction. BirdLife Australia’s research suggests that over 40% of the Superb Lyrebird’s range was impacted by the fires, and with a recovery hindered by predation by feral animals and habitat destruction from introduced herbivores such... as deer, their future is uncertain. That’s why we’re partnering with La Trobe University to assess the impacts of the 201920 fires bushfires on the southern subspecies of Superb Lyrebird, and plan for their post-fire management and recovery. This project is funded by WWF-Australia. You can find out more at: https://birdlife.org.au//bushfire-recov/superb-lyrebird-bf We are currently seeking volunteers to assist with this bushfire recovery work. Register your interest here: https://www.networkbirdlife.org//help-us-assess-impacts-of Male Superb Lyrebird by Alex Maisey

18.01.2022 If there was ever any doubt that birds were direct descendants of dinosaurs, you’d only have to look at the Southern Cassowary! This prehistoric looking bird is not only flightless but is also the heaviest bird in Australia weighing in at more than the Emu! Listed as endangered, the Southern Cassowary is the latest to join our bird pin flock. Wearing our pins is a great way to support our work and start a conversation about conservation. Shop the Nest for all your bird merch needs bird pins, our Birds of a Feather 2021 Calendar and our best-selling bird socks! Order yours today at https://store.birdlife.org.au/

17.01.2022 BirdLife Australia is hiring! An exciting new opportunity is now open to join BirdLife Australia in the recovery of Kangaroo Island’s endemic birds following the devastating 2019/2020 fires. The Kangaroo Island Bushfire Recovery Project Officer role will undertake targeted bird surveys and engage the Kangaroo Island community in a bird monitoring program to gain an island-wide perspective on the recovery of Kangaroo Island’s birdlife. The outcomes of this monitoring will... be used to target on-ground conservation action. If you’re an experienced bird survey field worker, with high fitness level for long work days in challenging terrain, with excellent skills in planning and leading a community monitoring program with multiple partners then this could be the role for you! This is a part-time position. Find out more https://www.birdlife.org.au/who/our-organisation/employment #KILandforWildlife @kilandforwildlife @moth_nut The Kangaroo Island bushfires burnt 80% of the KI Southern Emu-wren's habitat, making it one of the birds most impacted by last summer's catastrophe. See more

17.01.2022 Hello cocky! It is almost time to count! The Aussie Backyard Bird Count has many benefits for participants - especially in 2020. It’s a great way to take a break from the anxieties and stresses that we’ve all faced this year" says Sean Dooley, our Chief Bird Nerd. ... "Whether you’re new to bird watching or a bird nerd, everyone can take part in the bird count. Our app does the hard work for you with images of common birds in your area and has information about all the species you see or hear during your count. It’s the perfect activity to unwind this spring." Last year, over 88,000 Australians counted nearly 3.4 million birds during the count, with the Rainbow Lorikeet, Noisy Miner and Australian Magpie remaining Australia’s most counted birds. The national total will be updated in real time, and the app allows you to see which species are being seen in your local area. We have had so many counters register already - it looks like this will be our biggest count yet! Register now via the link in our comments! #BirdLifeOz #UrbanBirds #BirdsinBackyards #Birdata #CitizenScience #CitSciOz #cuppawiththebirds #birdingathome

16.01.2022 This young Australian King Parrot is checking out our wonderful #AussieBirdCount app! You can submit your Aussie Backyard Bird Count via the app and use the Field Guide function to help you identify the birds you see. Just enter the size, shape and colour of the bird and it will give you a list of suggestions - relevant for your region!... BirdLife Australia’s annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count starts in just 6 days, and runs during Bird Week, October 19 25. It is so fun and easy to do. Just spend 20 minutes in your backyard, local park, or any other outdoor space, and use the app or the website to count the birds you see. You can count as many times as you want in as many locations as you want. Register now - and check out the short video on how to use the app at our website at http://aussiebirdcount.org.au/ David Pocock Costa Georgiadis Official @davidcsimon #BirdsinBackyards #Garden #BirdingAtHome #cuppawiththebirds #BackyardBirds #CitizenScience

15.01.2022 The year which changed everything is almost behind us. But although 2020 has been challenging like no other, thanks to the support and hard work of our wonderful BirdLife Australia family, we have still celebrated some wonderful successes in the battle to protect our beautiful birds. Our Woodland Birds Team released 20 captive-bred Regent Honeyeaters into the wild, bolstering the population of this Critically Endangered bird. BirdLife volunteers banded together to pla...nt thousands of food trees for Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos, and our researchers discovered a new breeding population of this gravely threatened bird at the very edge of its range. Our new bushfire recovery program sprang into action. A huge number of nest boxes were erected, work to help some of our worst-affected birds on Kangaroo Island, in Western Australia and along the East Coast is well underway, and our volunteers are going above and beyond across the country to help our wildlife and landscapes recover from the flames. Mangrove Point in Queensland’s Hervey Baya vital resting and feeding place for Critically Endangered Eastern Curlewshas been saved from developers, thanks to the tireless work of local BirdLife advocates. In our fight to protect Toondah Harbour, the Queensland Government has just ruled out changing the Ramsar boundariesa significant victory in this long battle. Thanks to passionate BirdLife volunteers, WAs Helena Aurora Range is no longer under threat of mining, instead looking set to become the state’s newest national parka huge win for the threatened birds, like the Malleefowl, that call the area home. In the far north-west of NSW, the monitoring work of our Key Biodiversity Area volunteers has paid off, with our data on the local birdlife helping law-makers to decide on the creation of a massive new national park at Narriearra Station to protect birds like the Bulloo Grey Grasswren. And best of all, 2020 is almost gone and it came and went without any laws being passed to weaken our federal nature laws! Keen to join our flock? Check out https://www.networkbirdlife.org/birding-at-home and join us in 2021! Dean Ingwersen, Scott Solenko, Chris Tzaros, Andrew Silcocks

15.01.2022 Christmas sock-ing stuffers sorted! We don't want to get you in a flap, but there's less than a month till Christmas! So why not tick some Christmas shopping off your list and support our vital conservation work at the same time? Choose from our Birds of a Feather 2021 Calendar, lots of great bird pins, and our best-selling socks. Shop the Nest today at https://store.birdlife.org.au/ ... Please note: the cut off order date for Christmas deliveries is 8th December (for Australian orders only).

15.01.2022 Only 2 more sleeps until #GivingTuesday! Soon, millions of people around the world will be donating to the causes that matter the most to them. For us, that’s bird conservation! Will you join the flock and help save our threatened birds? As the nation’s largest bird conservation organisation, we’re fighting to prevent bird extinctions. Right now, the world is in the midst of an extinction crisis AND a climate crisis that’s why our amazing birds need your support more than... ever. Your donation today makes a real difference for Australia’s most threatened birds and the habitats they call home like the Critically Endangered Eastern Curlews and their Ramsar-listed wetland home at Toondah Harbour in Queensland. Even though the Toondah wetlands are protected by the Ramsar Convention an international treaty to conserve wetlands of global significance we fear they’ll be destroyed by real estate developers for profit. This would set a dangerous precedent that puts all shorebirds, and other wildlife that rely on wetlands like these, at risk around the world. Your #GivingTuesday donation will help deliver vital on-ground conservation work and advocate to save birds and their homes. With your generosity, we can protect what matters most. Donate today at: https://support.birdlife.org.au/donate Eastern Curlew by Duade Paton

14.01.2022 On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me two Crested Terns in breeding finery! These graceful birds are the face of February. Take them home by ordering the 2021 BirdLife Australia calendar at https://store.birdlife.org.au/product/2021-calendar/ Crested Terns by Georgina Steytler Photography

14.01.2022 An industrial battery facility in vital Regent Honeyeater habitat? We say no! BirdLife Australia has significant concerns about yet another proposal to expand industry in critically endangered bird habitat in the Hunter Economic Zone (HEZ), part of the Tomalpin Woodlands near Kurri Kurri. This announcement yesterday by one of HEZ owners Frank Cavasinni and CEP Energy has clearly not been thought through, says BirdLife Australia’s Woodland Birds project manager Mick Roderic...k. The Tomalpin woodlands are one of the only regular breeding areas left for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater, as well as a migration destination for the Critically Endangered Swift Parrot. Renewable energy is great and there are potentially appropriate sites nearby, but this proposal cannot be built in the Tomalpin woodlands. Last year it was a coal fired power plant, this year it's a mega battery but both involve the destruction of critical habitat. Our federal nature laws should protect the places that critically endangered species like the Regent Honeyeater call home add your voice to our campaign for stronger nature laws here: https://www.actforbirds.org/stopextinctions Andrew Silcocks

14.01.2022 Today thousands of Australians celebrated World Wetlands Day with hundreds sharing a photo of their favourite wetland or wetland bird. Our collective outpouring of wetland love has trended on social media and been noticed by politicians! While we mark the 50 year anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar treaty to protect the world’s wetlands we want to bring your attention to one of Australia’s most important Ramsar Wetlands, Moreton Bay, that is currently under threat... from the Walker Group’s coastal development proposal at Toondah Harbour. It would be a shameful indictment of Australia ignoring our international obligations under the Ramsar treaty if our Government were to approve Walker Group’s wetland destroying proposal. Proceeding with the Toondah Harbour project would undermine the protection of important wetlands sites in Australia and set a precedent for similar projects in other parts of the world under much greater development pressure. It may be evening but there is still time to take part and draw attention to the threatened wetlands we love by sharing an image of your favourite wetland or wetland bird in Australia, with hashtags #WorldWetlandsDay, #RespectRamsar and tag Sussan Ley MP and @BirdLifeAustralia Here we celebrate the Critically Endangered Eastern Curlew - who relies on the Toondah mudflats for vital feeding and resting. Geoff Gates For more on Toondah Harbour and the proposal - see https://youtu.be/iihRVpnRCNg

14.01.2022 Dear Kookaburras, we hope you like your new home! BirdLife Australia’s East Gippsland Nest Box Project launches today! Over 1,000 nest boxes were delivered to Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) near Lakes Entrance where they will soon be installed across 1,900 ha of fire-affected private property throughout East Gippsland. ... Hundreds of people from community groups, nursing homes, schools, men’s sheds and prisons have helped build the boxes, worth more than $100,000 in donated materials and time. Many included special messages of hope and love for the new owners like one student who wrote, Dear Kookaburras, we hope you like your new home. The Bushfire Nestbox Recovery Program is a feel good, hands-on, healing movement to help bushfire-affected communities and wildlife and has the potential to become one of the largest ever nest box projects in Australia. This is about love, hope and recovery, says Sam Monks, who has been coordinating the project on behalf of BirdLife Australia. Special thanks to all volunteers and major partners including Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Regional Landcare East Gippsland, Gunaikurnai Land Land & Waters Aboriginal Corp. (GLaWAC) and BugBlitz. In order: Laughing Kookaburra by Andrew Silcocks; nextboxes ready for delivery; some of the staff involved in the East Gippsland Nest Box Project

13.01.2022 Built for flight - a Bar-tailed Godwit. Have you heard that a Bar-tailed godwit can fly more than 12,000km from Alaska to New Zealand in 11 days?" asks Marta Ferenczi, our Migratory Shorebird Program Officer. "This is a new world record for avian non-stop flight - and it has put migratory shorebirds in the spotlight. Happily we do not have to go too far to meet them. They are on our doorstep! ... Marta will introduce Bar-tailed Godwits and our other long-distance superstars - the migratory shorebirds, on an online event called "Ramsar Wetlands: the treasure on our doorstep" hosted by the Bellarine Catchment Network this Thursday 19 November ~ 7- 8:30PM. https://www.facebook.com/events/965220664012359/ Keen to improve your shorebird identification? Marta will be exploring shorebird ID and the migratory shorebirds of the Coorong, South Australia online on Nov 27, 2020. Event details on the poster - and so much more migratory shorebird detail in the Facebook group "Australian National Shorebird Monitoring" https://www.facebook.com/groups/Shorebirds2020 Bar-tailed Godwit by Andrew Silcocks #migratoryshorebirds #ramsar #respectramsar #eeafp #nationalshorebirdmonitoring #coorong

12.01.2022 Join us for our launch: the Aussie Backyard Bird Count Broadcast!! Sean The Birdman Dooley will be kicking off the Aussie Backyard Bird Count with an extra special live-streamed event this Monday! Join the Birdman, Australia’s Chief Bird Nerd, as we broadcast from around the nation to launch everyone’s favourite event of the year!... This year’s Aussie Backyard Bird Count is supported by some amazing talent: our Chief Counters who are primed and ready to talk to Sean about their love of birds and how they will be counting this week. We'll be crossing live to folks like Myf Warhurst, David Pocock, Geraldine Hickey, Paul Kennedy, and Australia's favourite gardener, Costa Georgiadis! It is sure to be a lot of fun The Aussie Backyard Bird Broadcast is also a chance to catch up with BirdLife Australia’s supporters join Sean as he chats LIVE with passionate birders from around the nation, talking bird ID, hints, bird gardening tips, and best birding experiences! *We'll post the live video link to the event page when we kick off on Monday, so keep your eyes peeled for that* Run time by timezone: 12pm 2pm AEDT (NSW/ACT/VIC/TAS) 11:30am 1:30pm ACDT (SA) 11am 1pm AEST (QLD) 10:30am 12:30pm ACST (NT) 9am 11am AWST (WA) *Don't worry if you miss the livestream - we'll be putting the video online for you to catch up later*

12.01.2022 On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me a trio of Black Grasswrens in the Kimberley! Get your year off to a flying start with the 2021 BirdLife Australia calendar. Order yours today at https://store.birdlife.org.au/product/2021-calendar/ Black Grasswrens by Tracks Birding & Photography Tours

11.01.2022 FAKE SCAM accounts are being circulated. Please know we will NEVER ask for your credit card details online! These scammers are very clever and are using the same profile picture as us. These images are FAKE pages. Key things to look for are the number of followers - we have ~68,000, the fake pages only have a few. But again - we would never ever ask you for your credit card details. This is very important! ... Please do not click on any links if you are at all unsure. We will be working furiously on this problem and have reported it to Facebook.

11.01.2022 BREAKING NEWS: This afternoon the federal Senate agreed to send the proposed nature law amendments to a Senate Committee Inquiry. The proposed legislation would weaken our federal nature laws by handing off approval powers to state governments - without any federal independent regulator or national environmental standards to ensure that species are protected. The next step will be for the legislation to come back to be voted on in Parliament - in as little as two weeks! ... This process is rushed and incomplete and we are not happy! Join us and add your voice to speak up for nature laws that protect our threatened species such as this Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater. Sign up to our campaign today https://www.actforbirds.org/stopextinctions Regent Honeyeater by Lachie Hall

10.01.2022 On this World Migratory Bird Day we celebrate our migratory shorebirds - we also celebrate our migratory parrot: the Swift Parrot! Although they are just a bit heavier than a standard tennis ball, twice a year these remarkable birds brave crossing one of the worlds most dangerous bodies of water the Bass Strait. Swifties migrate from the forests of Tasmania to the mainland in order to feed on the flowering gums along Australia’s east coast. ... Sadly, Swift Parrots are one of the most endangered birds in Australia and they have seen their forests homes destroyed by native forestry operations and land clearing on both ends of their migratory paths. We want a future where Swift Parrots continue to amaze us with their epic migrations. The review of Australia’s national nature laws is a key moment for our leaders to ensure Swift Parrots can continue to amaze us forever. Contact your local representative to urge them to strengthen Australia’s nature laws today https://www.actforbirds.org/protectswiftparrot #WMBD2020 #worldmigratorybirdday #birds #birdsconnectourworld #swiftparrot #lathamusdiscolor #parrot #australianbirds #australianparrots #endangeredspecies @leighpieterse

10.01.2022 Can you spot the difference? Brown Goshawk vs. Collared Sparrowhawk! These two birds of prey are probably the most common ID enquiry we get at BirdLife Australia. But despite both birds being so widespread, even the most seasoned bird of prey experts can be left scratching their head at which one is which! Although Brown Goshawks are much larger than Collared Sparrowhawks, in both species the females are significantly bigger with female sparrowhawks comparable in size to ma...le goshawks. Brown Goshawks have prominent brow ridges giving them a frowning, ‘angry’ appearance also known as ‘beetle-browed’. They are generally larger and bulkier birds with deeper, powerful wingbeats and preference for soaring. Goshawks also have powerful looking legs and a more rounded tail (when at rest). Collared Sparrowhawks, however, are more finely built with smaller and more rounded heads and a quicker flickering flight. They have blue-grey at the base of the cere (the skin at base of bill). Sparrowhawks typically have less noticeable brow ridges giving them a wide-eyed goggle-eyed look. Remember more often than not, Goshawks glare, sparrowhawks stare! Sparrowhawks have thinner, spindly legs, with a noticeably longer middle toe. The tail is straight across rather than rounded, and with a centre notch. And a rufous collar of feathers - whereas in the goshawk = more grey. Good Luck! Keen on your birds of prey? We have a BirdLife Australia Special Interest group just for you - affectionately known as BARG - the @BirdLifeAustraliaRaptorGroup on Facebook and also https://ausraptorgroup.org/ Left Brown Goshawk by Andrew Silcocks; right Collared Sparrowhawk, by David Whelan #whatbirdisthat @birdsinbackyards #raptors #browngoshawk David Whelan

10.01.2022 The countdown begins! Just three days to go until the Aussie Backyard Bird Count (19-25 October)! Whatever your age, getting involved in the #AussieBirdCount is an easy way to get to know your feathered friends whilst contributing to BirdLife Australia's knowledge of our local birds. ... Who will you be counting with this year? Your family? Your four-legged companion? Meeting a friend or two in your favourite outdoor space? Or solo in the garden or even on your balcony with a nice cuppa for a #cuppawiththebirds? If you are playing it #covidsafe and counting at home - tag a friend We have a wonderful feeling this year's count is going to be our biggest yet - so we feel this charming gang-gang cockatoo captures our current mood perfectly! Register now at https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/ #BirdLifeOz #UrbanBirds #BirdsinBackyards #Birdata #CitizenScience #CitSciOz #cuppawiththebirds #birdingathome

09.01.2022 Looking for gudidi in Milingimbi... During NAIDOC Week 2020, BirdLife Top End’s Amanda Lilleyman and Micha Jackson, and two Larrakia Rangers, were welcomed to join the Crocodile Island Rangers on their country in northeast Arnhem Land. Gudidi is a generic term for all small wading birds in Djambarrpuyu language from northeast Arnhem Land. The team spent two days at Milingimbi, learning from one another while exploring cultural sites and undertaking migratory shorebird survey...s. The Crocodile Islands Rangers plan on continuing their shorebird monitoring and like the Larrakia Rangers, these surveys provide an opportunity to spend more time on sea country, monitoring and patrolling the coastal area, Amanda writes. We thank the Crocodile Islands Rangers team for welcoming us to their country and for sharing their birds, stories and language with us. By fostering links between Traditional Owners and bird-loving conservationists, we can best work together to protect important cultural sites and key shorebird habitat, just like at Milingimbi. Great work, BirdLife Top End! To read more of Amanda's account: https://www.networkbirdlife.org//looking-for-gudidi-in-mil HOT OFF THE PRESS: The Larrakia Land and Sea Rangers have been awarded the Northern Territory 2020 Indigenous NRM Award for their work monitoring highly threatened migratory shorebirds. Story to come soon Amanda Lilleyman

09.01.2022 Our pic of the week graces the cover of an internationally acclaimed magazine! Photographer Doug Gimesy’s capture of our recent NSW Regent Honeyeater release is the cover shot of the autumn edition of Audubon Magazine. In ‘Trial by Fire’, Paul Bogard tells the story of the huge team effort to save the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater, our flagship woodland bird species. Unfortunately, these unique birds are especially vulnerable to fire. Now, scientists and conserva...tionists are working tirelessly to help them survive another bushfire season and Australia’s new climate reality. Based in the US, The National Audubon Society (NAS) is one of the oldest and largest conservation organisations in the world. Audubon is their quarterly print magazine. Congratulations to our Woodland Birds team members Mick Roderick and Emily Mowat for the feature taking the plight of our Regents to the international stage! And of course, to Doug Gimesy for a fabulous cover! You can read ‘Trial by Fire’ at: https://tinyurl.com/yyrexoqc Regent Honeyeater by Doug Gimesy Photography Photo courtesy of National Audubon Society

08.01.2022 A black Laughing Kookaburra! Photographer and bird lover Dimity Castillo Rhodes was delighted to capture this image in Milton NSW South Coast, on Christmas Eve. And no, he or she wasn't covered in soot following Santa down the chimney - the kookaburra has a rare genetic mutation.... Dimity explains "Black or dark brown feather colour in birds is due to melanin, and excess production of dark pigmentation is called melanism." There is another melanistic kookaburra that is regularly seen in the Brisbane area. And there are also sightings of all white kookaburras - another genetic mutation known as leucism - an absence of pigment! What we do not know is if these colour mutations have a deleterious effect on the birds' lives - can they hide from predators, hunt, and find a mate as well as the usual coloured kookaburras? We hope so! Thank you so much Dimity for sending us your gorgeous photo - a Christmas gift indeed! It is #summerbirding time! As summer unfolds, whether home or away, we can continue to rely on birds to bring us joy, calm and connection to the natural world. https://www.networkbirdlife.org/birding-at-home

08.01.2022 A Magpie’s Future by Charlie Sonnemann winner of the 2020 Birdlife Australia Photography Awards ‘Youth Winner’ category. This deeply moving photo of an Australian Magpie in suburban Melbourne is a well-deserved winner of this year’s Photography Awards. 17-year-old Charlie Sonnemann took this photo while birding in Altona Coastal Park in Melbourne. I chose this photo because I want to share the worrying circumstances that Australia's birdlife are in, Charlie writes. I ...think now more than ever people need to be motivated to take action against anti-environmentalism, climate change inaction and destruction of habitat. I hope that images, including this one, can be a motivator for people to act. Thank you, Charlie, for your powerful words and capture, and congratulations to all prize winners and shortlisted entrants and BirdLife Photography Australia for an incredible comp this year. We’ve been profiling the winners of each category all this week, but you can check out the other finalists at https://www.birdlifephotoaward.org.au/gallery-winners-2020

07.01.2022 Please help our bird life with this crucial push for our nature laws the public comment period closes Wed 18 Nov. Our email form literally takes just a sec! https://bit.ly/2UrQuse Some background: last week the federal Senate agreed to send the proposed nature law amendments to a Senate Committee Inquiry. The proposed legislation would weaken our federal nature laws by handing off approval powers to state governments - without any federal independent regulator or national ...environmental standards to ensure that species are protected. Now is the time governments at all levels should be working together to protect and conserve nature - not passing the responsibility like a political football. This process is rushed, with a public comment period closing tomorrow (Wednesday 18 November) before going back to Parliament to be voted on - in as little as two weeks! If you feel angry or despondent we are with you! Devolving to the states is completely the wrong direction - we need stronger nature laws not weaker ones, to protect our threatened wildlife and the places they call home. An email submission is such a simple way to take action on this issue and it DOES make a difference. https://bit.ly/2UrQuse Please share this post with your friends and colleagues! Swift Parrot by Outside Four Walls

06.01.2022 We told you they would be superb! Get your wings on our three new enamel pins there's the Southern Cassowary, Tawny Frogmouth, and Superb Lyrebird. Shop the Nest today at https://store.birdlife.org.au/

05.01.2022 This very soggy Barking Owl is our pic of the week! Photographer Samantha Kent took this great shot of a Barking Owl enjoying a spring downpour. A light, steady rain started to fall, and it was something special to watch the owl glance upwards and lift his wings to the sky for a good soaking, she says. Luckily, I always carry a poncho in my camera backpack!... Named after their remarkably dog-like woof-woof call, Barking Owls are also known for their rather terrifying alarm call a blood-curdling scream nicknamed the ‘screaming lady’! These medium-sized hawk-owls are found in open woodlands and the edges of forests across much of mainland Australia. Barking Owl by Samantha Kent

04.01.2022 Some welcome news out of WA! The Helena Aurora Range in Western Australia looks set to become the state’s newest national park, following a recent funding announcement from the WA state government. Known as Bungalbin in the traditional Kalamaia name, this unique banded ironstone range is one of WA’s most significant biodiversity assets. Bungalbin lies about 500km north-east of Perth, in the heart of the outback and Great Western Woodlands. It is a sanctuary for many bi...rds, reptiles, mammal and plants some of which are found nowhere else on earth. Seven species of birds depend on Bungalbin’s special habitat, including Western Yellow Robin, Shy Heathwren and Malleefowl. Despite its significance, the range was under threat of mining prompting BirdLife WA to form an alliance with a number of local conservation and recreational groups in a bid to save Bungalbin. After a long battle, the WA government has now committed $2 million over the next four years for the creation and management of the Helena Aurora National Park a huge win for conservation and for threatened species like the Malleefowl that call the range home. Congratulations to Mark Henryon and the BirdLife WA team for all their hard work. A great outcome for all involved! Malleefowl by John Barkla

03.01.2022 Aussie Backyard Bird Count: wrap up and what’s next? The 2020 Aussie Backyard Bird Count was our biggest ever! So what did we find? Join Sean Dooley, our chief Bird Nerd and Dr Holly Parsons, from our Birds in Backyards program as they discuss the results and look at how those of you keen to keep counting birds can make a real difference to conservation. Holly introduces the Birds in Backyards program which is all about the birds that live where people live. ... Unlike the Aussie Backyard Bird Count which is only once a year, the Birds in Backyards program has quarterly seasonal counts. The summer count is in full swing and goes until the end of January. Curious? Enjoy this five minute video with Sean and Holly and find out what could be a surprising threat to watch out for in 2021 As summer unfolds, whether home or away, we can continue to rely on birds to bring us joy, calm and connection to the natural world. Look for the Summer Surveys tile! https://www.networkbirdlife.org/birding-at-home #birdata #birdsinbackyards @birdsinbackyards #summerbirding

02.01.2022 Counting Rainbows: the Aussie Backyard Bird Count results are IN! With 2020 being full of bad news droughts, bushfires, COVID many of us have been looking for a rainbow. And together, that’s exactly what we found! Unprecedented numbers of you across Australia took part this year, and overwhelmingly, you found Rainbow Lorikeets more than half a million of them! ... A huge thank you to everyone who submitted a survey during the 2020 Aussie Backyard Bird Count - together we counted more than 4.6 million birds in 7 days! Overall, the top ten species recorded in Australia in 2020 was largely the same as last year, with Noisy Miners, Magpies, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Galahs rounding out the top 5. The Australian White Ibis (the polarising bird also known as the Bin Chicken) finished in tenth spot. While participation rates rose substantially in every state, the number of counters in Victoria, which had the longest and strictest lockdown measures, more than doubled - testament to the solace that our backyard birds can provide during tough times. Across Australia, wherever you counted this year, thank you for being such an important part of the Aussie Backyard Bird Count! By taking part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count, you have contributed to BirdLife Australia's understanding of how our local bird populations are faring. Head to the website to download the 2020 infographic - and find out why Rainbow Lorikeets are ruling the roost... https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/2020-results/

02.01.2022 And we have lift off! This morning, all three Collins St Falcon chicks took the plunge, leaping from the ledge of a window high above Melbourne much to the delight of their many fans across the world. This fledging concludes the most successful year of the live stream yet, which proved a welcome distraction for many thousands of people stuck at home during lockdown. We will miss them!... Peregrine Falcons are fiercely territorial birds, and soon the fledglings all females will be driven away from home. Once each falcon makes their first kill, the adults will stop hunting for them, and they will have to establish their own territories far from the nest. Females usually fly at least 50km away to find a new hunting ground. Got any burning questions about the Collins St Falcons? Ask our resident falcon expert, Dr Victor Hurley! He’ll be a hosting a live Q&A session on the 367 Collins Falcon Watchers Facebook group on Monday at 6pm.