In the southern corner of New Zealand, a team is working to detect secretive, cryptic wetland birds… using sound.  Matuku Hūrepo Australasian Bitterns are so shy and cryptic, that they are rarely seen. They are wetland birds and with a 90% loss of wetland area in New Zealand, their populations are in steady decline. A collaborative project is underway in the Otago region to understand more about these birds by detecting them using acoustic recorders.  Featuring - Dr. Scott Jarvie - Terrestrial Ecologist, ORC, Otago Regional Council  Mary Thompson - Ornithologist, Birds New Zealand Francesca Cunninghame - Project Manager, Forest and Bird Petra Simpson - Forest and Bird  If you’ve spotted an Australasian Bittern please contact  -Birds New Zealand at [email protected] You can also log your Bittern & Crake observations on citizen science platforms like eBird or iNaturalist  Learn about Australasian Bitterns Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter - Karthic SS Additional Sounds from  Department of Conservation  (CC BY 4.0) & Birds New Zealand Kindly supported by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs Supported by OAR FM Dunedin & Science Communication, University of Otago.   Follow the Show  Facebook : ⁠https://www.facebook.com/tuneintonature⁠  Instagram : ⁠https://www.instagram.com/tuneintonatureshow/⁠  Twitter : ⁠https://twitter.com/tunenatureshow⁠  Producer & Presenter:  ⁠http://instagram.com/karthiscool⁠  This show was broadcast on community radio⁠ OAR 105.4FM⁠ Dunedin and available at ⁠http://accessmedia.nz/⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tuneintonature/message