Celebrate National Bird Week at Goldfields Libraries

Goldfields Libraries are going all-out for National Bird Week this year with a range of bird-brained events for both children and adults.

The Nesting Instincts exhibition will feature a wide range of nests in nature, print and art, along with nest collections and rare books. The exhibition will open on Friday 23 October, with a special performance of bird calls by Dawne Chorus, bird caller extraordinaire.

Pam Sheean, Collections Manager at Goldfields Libraries, is one of the artists featured in the exhibition. “Bird Week dates back to the early 1900s, and was started as a way of raising awareness of the preservation of birds at a national level,” says Ms Sheean.

“Goldfields Libraries have organised some excellent events for the community to celebrate National Bird Week and to reinforce the importance of birds in our region.”

The Nesting Instincts exhibition will run from Friday 23 October – Thursday 31 March 2016, upstairs at Bendigo Library.

Children can put their birdwatching skills to the test in The Great Library Bird Count at Bendigo, Castlemaine, Kangaroo Flat, Kyneton and Woodend Libraries. Fifteen well recognised Central Victorian birds will be perched around each of the libraries – find them all to win a prize! Fly in for some great twitching fun from Monday 12 – Saturday 24 October.

The Great Library Bird Count has been inspired by the Aussie Backyard Bird Count, run by Bird Life Australia and Birds in Backyards during National Bird Week. Dubbed Australia’s “biggest citizen science project”, participants use an app to record the birds they identify in their area. These statistics contribute to an overall national tally of bird species across Australia, giving an indication of how our birds are faring. For more information, visit www.aussiebirdcount.org.au

Naturalist and bioacoustics researcher Andrew Skeoch will speak at Kyneton Library on Thursday 22 October and at Castlemaine Library on Thursday 5 November. Andrew is a well-known nature sound recordist, and will present his recordings from the wild for audiences to enjoy.

All events are free, and further details and booking information can be found at: www.ncgrl.vic.gov.au/birdweek