Australasian Bittern are an extremely rare cryptic wetland bird. Their conservation status is Nationally Critical and population declines are linked to the loss and degradation of wetland habitat.
Bittern are a top predator in a wetland ecosystem, their continued presence in a wetland is a sign there is a thriving network of freshwater habitats to support them.
Many iwi, landowners, community groups, organisations, councils and agencies are carrying out urgent action on the ground to help protect Bittern, their wetland homes and the network of freshwater habitats that they need to persist.
Acoustic monitoring
One of the most efficient ways to detect bittern is through acoustic monitoring. This involves placing autonomous recorders around the wetland, set to record when the male bittern is most likely to be heard booming. This peak booming occurs during the Spring.
New technology is currently being trialed that uses AI in remote, solar powered devices that send positive detections back to our desktop or mobile device in almost realtime.
However, for the current suit of autonomous recorders (eg. DOC AR4, Alto AR5, Audiomoths) the sound is stored locally in the device on a memory card, which is collected, then manually checked using software that can detect and/or show the sound in a spectrogram for both visual and aural confirmation.
The Love Bittern Project provides you with a FREE tutorial and recommends FREE software for you to use.
If you dont have the skills or the time and have budget, we offer the below services through a separate entity to help you plan, analyse and report on your acoustic monitoring.
Independent Services
nb. this contract work is undertaken as a separate sole trader entity:
W P AMBURY T/A WHITE RATA
999 NGUNGURU FORD ROAD
WHANGAREI 0173
whiteratanz@gmail.com
DOC Vendor: 114004
-Planning Monitoring
Planning deployment of acoustic monitoring devices following Department of Conservation monitoring protocols for Australasian Bittern.
-Bittern sound file analysis
Conduct analysis of 15 minute sound files to detect bittern booms using AviaNZ for automated detection and/or Raven Pro for visual and aural inspection of acoustic data.
-Reporting
Provide either standard Department of Conservation .xls output or summary of monitoring i.e locations, presence/absence, peak booming (time/date) and estimate number of individual males booming determined by different signatures, calls overlapping or in quick succession as prescribed by Department of Conservation best practice.
Our strengths:
- Specialist in Australasian Bittern Acoustic Monitoring
- Reputable service (currently contracting to the Department of Conservation)
- Offering an affordable solution to iwi, landowners, community groups, organisations, councils and agencies nationwide.
- Providing professional quotes using Xero
- Supporting community-led conservation of Australasian Bittern.
Why is this a paid service? While most of our out of pocket expenses are covered through donations, sponsors and program fees – none of the hours we put into the Love Bittern Project are paid, its all voluntary. This work literally puts food on the table and the keeps the wheels on the Love Bittern van moving for our Wendy our National Coordinator.
LOVE BITTERN PROJECT 