Exciting news! Restore Hibiscus and Bays will be conducting bird counts this November. Bird counting, or monitoring, is crucial for tracking bird populations and informing local conservation efforts.

What Is Bird Counting?

Each year, we conduct bird counts across Hibiscus and Bays using the 5-Minute Bird Count method. This technique estimates the relative abundance of forest bird populations through point counts that last five minutes. During this period, volunteers count the number of birds seen or heard at predetermined stations. While this method doesn’t provide exact population numbers, it offers reliable insights into species trends over time.

Factors such as mammalian predators and habitat availability can significantly impact bird numbers, making this monitoring an effective way to assess local ecological restoration efforts.

Our Journey

RHB launched our bird monitoring program in 2021, starting with counts in Waiwera and expanding in 2022 to include multiple sites across East Coast Bays. We follow a protocol developed over 10 years by Forest & Bird’s Pest Free Hibiscus Coast Project, in collaboration with Hayden Pye and Professor James Dale from Massey University. We are grateful for their support in establishing our program.

Volunteer with Us!

Counts will take place throughout November, and we welcome volunteers to participate. You can choose to count at as many or as few locations as you wish, on any day between 7 AM and noon (weather permitting). Each count takes about an hour, and we provide volunteers with detailed instructions, training, and data sheets for recording observations, along with maps to locate each of the count stations.

Join Us!

If you love birds and enjoy nature, we invite you to volunteer for this important project. Beginners are more than welcome!

To express your interest, please complete this online form. It will take less than a minute! If you have any questions, feel free to email info@restorehb.org.nz.

Let’s make this bird counting season a success together!

If you want to count birds on the Hibiscus Coast, please contact our friends at Forest & Bird’s Pest Free Hibiscus Coast Project.