Throughout my travels looking at wildlife in Australia, I have seen some incredible creatures. However, Australia is a big country and there is always something new to see. Recently, I decided to focus on learning about a bird species that I had never seen, the Australasian Bittern. This a bird that can be elusive in many ways but once you have seen it, you will never forget! Australasian Bitterns are a large, brown bird which are secretive and can be predominately found in wetland areas. Specifically, the prefer to haunt wetland areas which have thick cover such as sedges, cumbungi and reedbeds. The birds may also be seen in modified habitats such as rice fields and drainage lines in heavily grassed paddocks.
Usually, these birds are solitary and may be seen at night or through the day. They will actively forage by wading through wetland vegetation and freeze with their necks extended if disturbed. These birds have a range that extends from south-east Queensland, through New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and all of Tasmania. The south-west region of Western Australia is also home to some birds. Their distribution also extends beyond Australia to New Zealand and New Caledonia where the birds are also a threatened species. One of the biggest threats to this bird species is modification to and loss of wetlands areas.
Up until several months ago, I had not seen this secretive bird species. However, a tip off from a fellow birder alerted me to a bird which had turned up in a wetland area on the north side of Brisbane. A close friend and I went in search of the bird and much to our delight we had wonderful views of a bird which was going out its business feeding. For anyone wanting to see this species, I would recommend learning its ‘booming’ call and getting in touch with people who are regularly working on the conservation of this bird. Later in the year, I am travelling to Tasmania and hoping to encounter birds in that vicinity and learn some more about the elusive species!
