It's a warm Summer Friday evening and the full moon is rising above me. Tonight, I am part of a small community of people all over the country who are sitting on the edge of various mosquito infested swamps, listening intently for the mating call of one of Australia's most endangered birds.
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Yes, we could be at the pub. But instead, we seek a different version of a good night out; we hope to hear the elusive call, or "booming", of the Australasian Bittern.
I am lucky. From my position beside Coomonderry Swamp near Berry on the South Coast of NSW, I hear a solitary male, who booms away obligingly for the 90 minutes it takes before it gets too dark and creepy to linger any longer.
And while BirdLife Australia's listening surveys are not intended as a competitive sport, I have to admit that hearing a bittern feels much better than NOT hearing one.
The male bittern is a romantic. On the full moon in late Spring and early Summer, his sonorous call may be heard across the reeds and rushes, his very own swamp serenade.
As far as pick up lines go it's impressive, but sadly, the sound of the bittern's boom has become more infrequent of late. To have heard one on my first listening attempt feels even more special, knowing there are only around 1700 individuals left in the whole country.
Wetland Bird Program Coordinator with BirdLife Australia, Bradley Clarke-Wood said bitterns were once widespread across south-eastern Australia, but populations have plummeted due to loss of habitat.
"This year Australasian Bitterns are the focus of an ambitious monitoring scheme," Clarke-Wood said. "Listeners from across the Australasian Bittern's range are being asked to conduct listening surveys at dawn and dusk at wetlands to help generate a snapshot of bittern breeding activity."
As such, more than 200 bittern surveys have been conducted since August by BirdLife volunteers across more than 30 wetlands.
Like all BirdLife surveys, including the popular Backyard Bird Count, chirpings, cheepings and boomings are easily entered into a phone app.
Besides being unable to think of any other circumstance which would compel me to sit in silent contemplation for hours at a time beside my local swamp, taking part in this program had other rewards.
Research shows that pastimes such as birdwatching, observing plants and animals and just spending time in the natural world can have dramatic effects on our health and happiness.
One fun fact I read claims that just being near 14 additional bird species provides as much satisfaction as earning an extra $150 a month!
I'm not sure how they work that out, but I'll certainly be looking out for more opportunities like this to indulge my interest in nature while possibly also doing something useful to help its preservation.
Find out more about bird surveys at birdlife.org
The Voice of Real Australia newsletter will be published on Fridays only for for the festive period from today until January 13.
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