Count a roosting Cocky

Registrations for the 2019 Great Cocky Count on Sunday 7 April, are now open!

The City of Armadale is encouraging residents to join in the biggest annual survey and monitor a site, to assist with BirdLife Australia’s Great Cocky Count, for what they hope is the most comprehensive survey yet.

Volunteers monitor known roost sites to count the cockatoos as they come into their evening roosts on a single night. The count takes place every April at sunset, usually between 5.30 to 6.30pm in Perth, to record sightings of white-tailed and red-tailed black cockatoos.

City of Armadale Mayor Henry Zelones OAM, JP said the three species endemic to WA are found nowhere else in the world.

“As the cockatoo’s natural habitats are located all over the southwest of WA there’s hundreds of sites and sure to be a survey spot near where you live.

“A key aim of the count is to survey as many sites as possible to obtain more accurate figures.

So even if you can’t assist on the night but are aware of a night time roost site that you have seen, let the organisers know.

“It’s an easy and fun activity that the family can join in and help with and only takes around one hour to count the cockatoos as they fly into roost at your particular site,” said Mayor Zelones.

Over time the statistics collected across the state from the Great Cocky Count will provide a snapshot of the population, quantify changes in numbers and assist with conservation of the endangered species of black cockatoos.

For more information about the Great Cocky Count or to find out about a roost site, contact the coordinator on 9287 2251 or email greatcockycount@birdlife.org.au.

Registrations close three weeks prior to the count, so register online by Sunday 17 March at https://goo.gl/forms/ifBRO05Yktlbk2QX2.