The Great Glossy Count 2022
The Glossy Black Conservancy, in partnership with Birdlife Australia is holding Australia’s first Great Glossy Count on Saturday 26 March, 2022.
The South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo is at risk of population decline after losing many of its feed trees in the devastating bushfires of 2019-2020.
Data collected during the Great Glossy Count will inform bushfire recovery work by collecting information on Glossy Black-Cockatoo flocks and feed trees, so they can be protected and managed appropriately.
But we need your help! We’re seeking volunteer citizen scientists in Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, and Victoria to help survey the South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo on Saturday 26 March 2022.
As a citizen scientist, you’ll have the opportunity to hone your bird ID skills, participate in training and collect critical data to ensure the bird’s survival. Workshops will cover: how to identify Glossy Black-Cockatoos; what they eat; how to recognise feed trees and signs of feeding; and Glossy Black-Cockatoo ecology and behaviour. You’ll also learn how to capture and share data via Birdlife Australia’s BirdData app.
Register now as a volunteer citizen scientist
We’re recruiting 500 volunteers across Southeast Queensland, NSW, ACT and Victoria to join us for Australia’s first Great Glossy Count. Registrations close 16 March or when we reach capacity. Volunteers will be invited to attend workshops and learn about Glossy Black-Cockatoo identification, how to observe and record Glossies in the field and threats to the bird’s survival.
Great Glossy Count 2022 workshops
Face-to-face workshops across SEQ & Northern NSW
Join Glossy Black Conservancy partners at these free workshops to brush up on your Glossy ID skills and learn everything you need to participate in the 2022 Great Glossy Count. Workshops will cover:
- Identification of Glossy Black-Cockatoos by sight and sound
- How to differentiate females, males and juveniles
- Glossy Black-Cockatoo ecology and behaviour
- Identifying and recording feed trees
- Age classing of orts/chewings
- Using the Birdata app to record sightings during the Great Glossy Count
- How to stay safe in the field
WORKSHOP DATES AND TIMES
Saturday 5 March, 10.00am – 12 noon, Redlands
Thursday 10 March, 6.00pm – 8.00pm, Gold Coast
Saturday 12 March, 10.00am – 12 noon, Tweed South
Saturday 12 March, 8.30am – 10.30am (guided walk), Gold Coast
Tuesday 15 March, 4.00 – 6.00pm, Sunshine Coast
Wednesday 16 March, 6.30 – 7.45pm, virtual
Saturday 19 March, 10.30am – 12.30pm, Dayboro
Saturday 19 March, 10.00am – midday (guided walk), Gold Coast
Friday 25 March, 10.00am, Noosa
Virtual workshop for Queensland, NSW and Victoria
Wednesday 16 March, 6.30 – 7.45pm AEST.
A webinar will also take place on Wednesday 16 March from 6.30 – 7.45pm. This virtual workshop will explore how to identify Glossy Black-Cockatoos and their feed trees through a series of new videos and will include a panel discussion with researchers investigating Glossy Black-Cockatoos. Citizen scientists volunteering for our Great Glossy Count can ask questions of researchers during the panel discussion.
As well as screening videos covering these topics, a panel of Glossy Black-Cockatoo experts will answer your questions about identifying this charismatic bird, understanding its behaviours and recognising feed trees.
Panelists: Dr Daniella Teixeira, Mike Barth, Dr Guy Castley, Marama Hopkins
The workshop will be recorded so that participants can watch back at their convenience. All registered participants will receive a link.
Learn more about identifying Glossy Black-Cockatoos for the 2022 Great Glossy Count
Watch our training video from the 2021 Glossy Black-Cockatoo Birding Day.
In the lead-up to our 2021 Birding Day, Conservancy partner Dr Daniella Teixeira hosted a virtual workshop for citizen scientists participating as volunteers. You can watch the 1hr presentation back at your convenience above.
Access fact sheets on our website.
While we await a fabulous new field guide from our partners at Birdlife Australia, you can access fact sheets on the Conservancy website by clicking here.
Ask an expert.
Got a burning question we haven’t answered elsewhere? Send an email to the Conservancy and we’ll have one of our expert partners answer it for you. Email: birdingday@glossyblack.org.au.
Download our new field guide
A new guide, produced by Birdlife Australia and the Glossy Black Conservancy will support citizen scientists to collect data on South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoos.
Download here.
This project is a partnership between BirdLife Australia and the Glossy Black Conservancy, funded by BirdLife Australia’s supporters and a grant awarded under the Australian Government’s Regional Bushfire Recovery for Multiregional Species and Strategic Projects Program.
Photography © Andrew Peacock
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