This year's Aussie Backyard Bird Count could be one of the most important after the widespread bushfires that destroyed millions of hectares of habitat across the country.
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BirdLife Australia Southern NSW woodland bird project officer Ben Humphries has seen the flow-on effects of the fire's impacts in his daily work.
"We are surveying birds on farms, connecting with landholders to try to get them to learn more about their birds, and it's interesting to see how birds are using these farms as their re-fuelling stops," he said.
"Whether it be the river or our backyard, they have been safe havens for those birds that got flushed out of their habitat or went back to habitat that's no longer there.
"The count is really important, it's a snapshot; it's only once a year, but it's all across Australia and it's really useful to compare it across the years."
Last year, citizen scientists recorded 3.4 million birds in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count, which is running until October 25.
"The idea is we do 20 minute surveys, and that way we can compare the same standard of scientific results across all of Australia, and then the results are used to analyse the health of Australian birds," Mr Humphries said.
"You can get an online form to load up your sightings or you can do it through the app.
"Often, it's the most common species like galahs that we see.
"They're really good indicators of how healthy the bird populations are.
"BirdLife is focused on stopping extinctions and we can focus our attention on groups we think need the most help. "
Seasonal counts take place throughout the year and Australians submitted 10 times the number of backyard bird surveys to BirdLife Australia in April, compared with the same time last year.
Magpies were the most counted bird in Victoria, and in NSW it was the rainbow lorikeet.
Mr Humphries sees magpies, galahs and red wattlebirds most and expects to see many when counting with his kids throughout this week.
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"A lot of people have got on board and have been surveying since the COVID lockdown, which is exciting," he said.
"We're trying to promote it to all ages and for kids particularly.
"They can work together to try and identify birds - through size, colour, shape and behaviour.
"It doesn't have to be your backyard, it could be down the street or at your workplace.
"I'll be trying to do one count a day."
For more information, visit aussiebirdcount.org.au.
