Every year, Birdlife Australia encourages the public to get involved with its Aussie Bird Count for one week in October.

It’s an easy process: participants download the Aussie Bird Count app, then spend 20 minutes in one spot in their favourite outdoor space, recording the numbers and species of birds they see in that time. Participants can do the count once, or as many times as they like during Australian National Bird Week, which this year is from October 14 to 20.

Counting birds is simple; and if you see ducks in the mix, the numbers are useful for informing the data on game bird abundance. Field & Game Australia volunteers – many of them hunters – count duck numbers twice each year.

But many hunters are opposed to the Aussie Bird Count, and the reason for that is also simple: Birdlife Australia is opposed to native bird hunting, and wants it banned.

It would seem that Birdlife Australia is at cross-purposes with Field & Game Australia’s existence – but if we look a little deeper, we can see this is not necessarily the case. In its own words, Birdlife Australia’s “core purpose” is “stopping extinctions of Australia’s birds.” Field & Game was born for precisely the same reason when duck hunters realised that loss of habitat was the number one driver of declining duck populations and offered not only to provide funds for the purchase of state game reserves, but also countless hours of manpower for habitat development and upkeep.

The data gained from the Aussie Bird Count is used by Birdlife Australia to track trends in Australian bird numbers from year to year. This information is used as an indication of the health of the environment – and can be the catalyst for conservation work in particular areas to improve birdlife outcomes.

Not supporting the Aussie Bird Count will not change the attitude of Birdlife Australia with regard to native bird hunting – but it will lessen the reporting of the numbers of native game birds, purely because they are not generally found in our backyards but rather in the outdoor spaces where hunter-conservationists love to spend their leisure time.

By engaging in the count, hunters can help in tracking the health and sustainability of various species – knowledge that is crucial for responsible hunting, ensuring that game bird populations are sustainable and can continue to thrive.

Hunter participation in the count also fosters a link with the wider community, helping to bridge the gap between hunters and the general public through a mutual understanding and respect for wildlife and conservation efforts.

Thanks to habitat preservation and plenty of water in the past couple of seasons in particular, we know that waterfowl populations are booming and can support sustainable hunting practices. Why wouldn’t we want our knowledge shared with another organisation that can potentially help preserve – through its conservation efforts – the species we both love?