Australia’s peak body for birds is asking for Australians to count birds in their backyards for a week in one of the country’s biggest citizen science events. The activity will help gather valuable information about the nation’s birdlife from backyards where ecologists usually wouldn’t be able to observe. “As well as helping ecologists track trends, it also gives people the chance to connect with their natural environment and gain a greater appreciation of our unique fauna,” Birdlife Australia, which is launching the event, said. “You can count as many times as you like over the week; we just ask that each count is completed over a 20-minute period. The data collected assists BirdLife Australia in understanding more about the birds that live where people live,” Birdlife Australia said. Originating in 2014, more than 108,000 people participated in 2020, and they counted more than 4.6 million birds. Further, the data collected …