The third annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count is taking place from October 17-23 and Bathurst Regional Council is asking residents to take a little time to enjoy the beautiful birds of the Bathurst region.

With the help of a user-friendly free app, anyone can contribute by finding and counting as many birds as possible in their backyards and local areas.

Mayor Gary Rush said the count helped council understand the health of local native bird populations and better plan for long-term conservation initiatives.

“Last year, a total of 4852 individual birds from 136 species were observed and recorded by residents in our region,” Cr Rush said.

“This is information that provides us with a snapshot of how our local birds are doing and how successful council and community efforts have been in managing, protecting and increasing habitats and in reducing threats.

“Bathurst’s birds are an important part of our local environment and of the iconic character of our region, and can often be an indicator of more general environmental health.

“It is a concern, for example, that three of the top five species recorded in 2015 were introduced rather than native Australian birds.”

A range of activities is planned for the week including a bird photography competition and school bird counting competition with great prizes on offer.

Council has also organised a free public bird walk in Boundary Reserve on the morning of Saturday, October 22 to be led by local experts and council staff.