Landholders across the Riverina are taking part in surveys on their properties in a bid to manage their land in a way that benefits birds and their habitats. This also leads to increased farm productivity, say BirdLife Australia, through helping combat issues that flow on from climate change, historic habitat loss and fragmentation, feral animals and drought. Photo: Supplied.
Watching birds in your backyard is not only good for the soul, says BirdLife Australia’s Ben Humphries, but can go a long way toward saving the planet.
The coordinator of the not-for-profit conservation group’s Birds on Farms project in southern NSW says becoming a bird watcher and recording what you see can contribute to stopping extinctions and stabilising the declining populations of many at-risk feathered species.
The innovative program, which sees farmers and private landholders capture data through quarterly 20-minute birdwatching surveys, is about to celebrate five years and launch a set of online resources to take the program nationally.
“To join the on-farm program you don’t have to be an experienced birdwatcher. We offer training and workshops so you can build your skills and be mentored by others,” said Ben.
Ben is what you would call a ‘twitcher’ – a dictionary term given to a specific type of birdwatcher who travels long distances to see rare bird species. His 20-year career has taken him to all the hotspots around Australia including Kakadu and The Kimberley. His current role has him based in Albury, working with landholders anywhere from Corowa to Henty or Jingellic.
“Once people are hooked and have done a few surveys on their land they say, ‘This is great, but what do I have to do to get more birds?’ and that leads to conversations about fencing creek lines or paddock boundaries and creating habitat corridors which can link to neighbouring properties.
“We started with 20 farms in 2019 and quickly gained momentum. We have more than 70 on board now and about 20 volunteers who help us conduct the surveys with landholders.”
Today, BirdLife is working on a range of properties including some which have been in the same family for generations.
“Some of the people that remember clearing trees on the farm as a child are now champions of conservation, managing their natural assets sustainably, despite criticism from their family and neighbours,” said Ben.
“Meeting these amazing people and learning their stories is our inspiration.”
On a broader scale, says Ben, birdwatching is pouring billions into Australia’s tourism industry and is big business.
Ben Humphries (right) looks forward to rewarding some of their Birds on Farms Champions at an upcoming celebration for outstanding contributions to the project and to bird conservation. Photo: Supplied.
International visitors spent $2.6 billion on travel that involved birdwatching in the year to June 2024, according to data from Tourism Research Australia, while domestic overnight travellers spent $636 million over the same period, up from $414 million in 2021 — a 53 per cent increase, national visitor survey data showed.
“There is such a flow-on effect working in bird observation, whether it’s in your backyard, your workplace or out on a farm,” said Ben.
“There are lots of links to mental health and increased wellbeing.
“The participants in our program, as most birdwatchers will tell you, say it’s a wonderful way to connect with nature and country.”
BirdLife Australia now has a team of three based in the Riverina and part of their service includes developing habitat restoration plans for landholders, providing a (free) fully budgeted plan of the restoration idea which can be used by them or the landholder to lobby various industry or government bodies for funding.
Since the arrival of the first European settlers, much of Australia’s woodland area has been cleared for agricultural use and less than 10 per cent of the original woodlands remain.
Landholders can play a critical role as more than 70 per cent of the land area in southeast and southwest Australia is in private ownership, with a majority in regional areas.
“Our end game, of course, is that we are collectively going to save the planet,” Ben chuckles.
“Seriously, our vision is to stop extinctions and stabilise the declining populations and turn them around so they are increasing by 2050.
“There’s a focus on those threatened and declining species and our aim is that we can restore and protect habitat for future generations.”
These include birds such as the dusky woodswallow, grey-crowned babbler, hooded robin, gang-gang cockatoo and the brown treecreeper.
The Birds on Farms project has so far been rolled out in Central Victoria, Canberra, Yass, Cowra, Southwest Western Australia and Southern Queensland.
The next step involves developing online modules for landholders outside the existing project areas to help guide them through the implementation of their own restoration plan.
“It’s really exciting that we can take this program to the rest of the country.
“There are plenty of gaps at the moment, but the idea is eventually the community will run this program and generate that sort of interest and motivation among landholders to protect habitat for birds.
“It’s a matter of valuing that habitat.
“Part of the challenge for us is talking with landholders about the value of some of those habitat areas, and the gains the birds and the biodiversity can bring to the heath of their property and also to their bottom line.”
Visit Birds on Farms to find out more about the program, follow them at Southern NSW Birds on Farms Facebook or contact the Albury team by emailing [email protected]
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