Backyard birdwatching

Today’s post comes from Northcote local Polly, who kindly offered to share her love of backyard birds with us all!

She says,

I started bird watching a few years ago when I found a white-plumed honeyeater nest in my garden and I was able to watch the chicks grow from my upstairs window. I love bird watching because they’re beautiful and it’s so exciting when I spot a new bird species I haven’t seen before! Other things about me: I play roller derby, I do a lot of sewing and quilting, and I have a dog called Winter. 

Thanks Polly! And if anyone else has a post to share, please send it through. Here’s what Polly wrote for us all …

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In these times of self-isolation and quarantine it’s important to keep spending time outdoors. The safest way for you to do that is to go into your backyard, and what better activity to do than a spot of birdwatching!

You don’t need your own pair of binoculars (but whip them out if you do!), just your eyes and some patience is all you’ll need.

Spotting birds in your garden

• Between sunrise and mid-morning is the best time to spot birds as this is when they are most active, but you’ll be able to see birds all through the day.

• Birds most often land up high, rather than on the ground, so keep your eyes on the treetops and roofs.

• You’ll usually hear a bird before you see it, so keep your ears peeled for birdsong.

Common birds you might see

• Rainbow Lorikeets

• Magpies

• Common Blackbirds

• Various Wattlebirds

• Common Mynas

• Noisy Miners

• Starlings

• White-plumed Honeyeaters

• House Sparrows

• Spotted Doves

• Magpie-larks

• Galahs

It’s important when birdwatching to not cause harm or stress to the birds, or interfere with their habitats. The number one rule is: if you spot a nest leave it alone. If a bird notices its nest has been disturbed it might not return to look after its eggs or chicks, so it’s essential to keep your distance from any nests you see.

For more information about backyard birds click here.

To get help identifying birds look here.

To find out more about attracting birds to your garden click here.