EAGLE-EYED wildlife lovers are urged to turn their eyes to the skies next week as the Aussie Bird Count kicks off.
It's one of Australia's largest citizen science projects, where participants record the number and type of birds they spot in a 20-minute window until Sunday October 23, Lake Macquarie City Council sustainability engagement officer Margo Smith said.
"We had almost 1000 participants in Lake Mac last year, which reflects how passionate people in our community are about the environment generally, and the bird-life specifically," she said.
"We're hoping to count even more this year.
"We have such a diversity of habitats in our city with its coastal environment on one side, mountains on the other and the lake in-between, so it really is a fantastic place for birdwatching."
Of more than 55,000 birds tallied in Lake Macquarie's count last year, the rainbow lorikeet, noisy miner, Australian magpie, sulphur-crested cockatoo and eastern rosella topped the list for most spotted.
More than 106,000 people nationwide counted almost five million birds last year.
The count draws everyone from fully-fledged birdwatchers to rank amateurs looking to get their start as a 'twitcher'.
Warners Bay bird enthusiast Maya Guest said she was looking forward to taking part in her backyard, where magpies, kookaburras, currawongs and eastern whipbirds are among the species that forage, nest and thrive.
"The work that I do in the garden - it's for the birds," she said.
"The forest is special, but if there weren't any animals, you wouldn't get that same sense out here."
Birdlife Australia spokesman Sean Dooley said people of all ages are welcome to take part.
"It can be done from anywhere - a suburban backyard, a local park, a patch of forest, down by the beach or the main street of town," he said.
To take part go to aussiebirdcount.org.au.
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