Birds hit new highs

RECORD numbers and species of birds have been spotted across Australia in this year’s annual count of our feathered friends.

Nearly two million birds were counted across yards, parks, wetlands and beaches by thousands of enthusiasts during the week-long Aussie Backyard Bird Count, which ended on Sunday.

Among them were 635 species ranging from kookaburras and Australian magpies to the blue-breasted fairy-wren and black-throated finch. It dwarfed last year’s totals of 1.4 million birds and 576 species