I was lucky enough last year to go hiking with friends in the southern parts of Nitmiluk NP and we also camped in Litchfield NP. There I connected with our wonderful BirdLife scientists Richard and Jess and a team of Indigenous Rangers. They were tracking the critically endangered Red Goshawk. After some searching, finally at the top of a huge Melaleuca I saw a magnificent female. She was just gorgeous and the excitement of everyone that was there was just magic.

For me the knowledge exchange between our scientists and traditional owners, talking about how traditional practices like cultural burning are vital to the protection of this threatened raptor, made it an incredibly memorable week in the Northern Territory.

BirdLife Australia works closely with our neighbours in the Pacific. I would love to go back to Fiji and spend more time out with their seabirds including looking for the elusive Fiji Petrel. The team at NatureFiji-MareqetiViti are passionate conservationists and the Fiji Petrel is one of the rarest seabirds in the world, it is estimated their population is fewer than 50.

It is always fantastic to spend time with the NatureFiji-MareqetiViti team and it would be a thrill to see a bird of such cultural importance to the people of Fiji and support their continued efforts to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change and other threats to seabirds.

That’s assuming my golden ticket only goes abroad, because Australia has the best birding in the world, so if it works here, how long have you got?

  The amazing thing about birds is that they are in all landscapes. I live in inner north Melbourne and I hear Butcherbirds, Currawongs, Magpies, Wattlebirds and Honeyeaters every morning. In places close by, like Royal Park, the bird diversity increases as the habitat becomes more varied and more small birds appear. I love how I can hear birds before I see them, even in a noisy city, and it makes me feel calm. I have binoculars on my desk at home and they come with me on all my trips.

I was recently at the airport in Sydney and got talking to two lovely couples. Both were BirdLife Australia members, one couple was returning home from birdwatching overseas and the other couple were keen bird photographers. I love the social side of talking to people about nature and birds, and seeing how a love of birds brings people together. With so many challenges facing people and nature, going birding and working alongside people dedicated to protecting birds is such a joy and privilege.