It's time to explore tranquil garden corners for the plumage and melodies hidden away in the world of our own backyards.

Armed with binoculars and a keen curiosity, people across New Zealand neighbourhoods and communities are taking part in the country's longest running citizen science project, the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey, which started on Saturday.

Thousands of New Zealanders are heading into their gardens sometime over this week to spend one hour counting all the birds they see and hear.

Data from the survey helps scientists understand the health of garden bird populations and the wider environment.

It does this by showing how bird counts are changing across New Zealand over the past 5 and 10 years.

Female Yellowhammer. Photo: Supplied.

Data from last year showed fantail (pīwakawaka), tūī and kererū are increasing in numbers and that the decline in silvereye (tauhou) appears to be slowing. Things are not looking so good for some introduced species. Numbers for both starlings (tāringi) and chaffinch (pahirini) show a decline.

Manaaki Whenua researcher, Dr Angela Brandt, says the data let us understand how bird populations are changing across New Zealand.

"What's exciting about having so many years of surveys now is we can see how trends are changing over time.

'Some species show an uptick - like pīwakawaka, or a lessening decline - like tauhou - compared with earlier reports. Importantly, because the survey is done every year, it gives us an early warning if a species starts to decline."

Song thrush. Photo: Tom Marshall.

The NZ Garden Bird Survey founder, Dr Eric Spurr, says he looks forward to the survey every year and is delighted at the increasing number of people who take part.

'The results show the value of long-term citizen science monitoring, and while the survey does not attempt to determine the causes of changes in bird counts, it is tempting to think increases in counts of native birds reflect the results of increased predator control and habitat restoration activities around the country.”

It turns out however, that doing the survey is not just good news for the birds. In 2020, survey participants were asked about their experience of taking part.

Some people talked about how they didn't have time to join a conservation or nature group but they liked being part of something that involved thousands of other people who cared about the same thing – birds and nature.

Manaaki Whenua social researcher Dr Gradon Diprose says participants in 2022 suggested a wide range of everyday actions that could be taken to care for birds in New Zealand such as reducing the impacts of weeds and predators on birds. The responses highlight how many New Zealanders care both about birds, and the wider environment.

A majority of people also reported a greater sense of well-being after spending time in the garden.

'We had people saying it was a good opportunity to slow down,” says Dr. Diprose. 'Participants talked about feeling curiosity, joy, fun, wonder and a sense of connection.”

The New Zealand Garden Bird Survey has become a much-loved pastime for families around the country.

TV producer Ian McGee who hails from Dunedin started doing the survey when it first began around 2007.

'I really like the idea of being able to track what is in my garden over time,” says Ian.

'I also had two young children and I wanted a way to encourage them to start identifying birds, and to use their sharp eyes to spot things I might have missed.

'One of the things I worry about is that because kids are watching wildlife television programmes, they start to think that nature only happens in places like the Serengeti and other exotic places. But really all you need to do is stick your nose out of your window at home and sit and watch.”

Benji Moorhouse, Senior Advisor | Kaitohutohu Matua Intergenerational Change at the Ministry for the Environment agrees and says the Survey is an opportunity to pause, take notice of an outdoor area near you and start to appreciate all we have in our own ‘backyard'.

'The benefits of connecting with nature is something we are hearing more and more about, but many of us still struggle to find that time to really notice the environment around us.

"With the Garden Bird Survey, you don't have to go anywhere. You can complete it wherever you are.”

This year the survey runs from June 24 – July 2 2023. There is information on how to take part and plenty of bird identification information on the NZ Garden Bird Survey website, so lots of time for everyone to get familiar with the manu that visit our gardens.

A full copy of the State of NZ Garden Birds | Te āhua o ngā manu o te kāri i Aotearoa 2022 can be downloaded from gardenbirdsurvey.landcareresearch.co.nz