For Hunter Bird Observer's Club life member Ann Lindsey, all it took was one simple line on a television show more than 50 years ago to ignite her passion for birds.
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The TV show - which she pointed out was screened in black and white back then - was hosted by journalist and conservationist Alan Moorehead.
"My recollection is, he said 'if you wake up in the morning and open your back door you will see birds in your backyard," Ms Lindsey said.
"I remember looking in my yard and I saw all these birds - currawongs, kookaburras, butcher birds - and I fell in love.
"It was that simple."
She was living in Sydney at the time, so she decided to join her local bird club, becoming "more and more in love with birds" the longer she was involved.
"Birds are so colourful, so intelligent," she said.
"I'm really in awe of their ability to fly, of their ability to undertake long migration and the species who have been able to adapt and live with human beings.
"Look at the ibis - people call them the bin chicken but they're really an incredible species."
A few decades later she moved to the Hunter region and became a part of HBOC.
She served as the club's president for four years in the 1990s, and during her presidency also became heavily interested and involved in the conservation side of things.
"I realised the birds of the Hunter region were in decline," she said.
"Land clearing was the biggest threat to their habitat.
"It was during the time new coal mines were being built and extended in the region."
Ms Lindsey started to write letters to government about land clearing and became an advocate for protecting birds' habitat.
"My purpose over those years was to try and make government and industry accountable to their actions," she said.
"We may not get a project stopped, but we were invited to sit at the table when projects were proposed."
An example of what this achieved was having 18 hectares of bird habitat set aside on Kooragang Island as an offset for a coal loader being installed at the site.
She said HBOC had maintained a "positive ongoing relationship" with Newcastle Coal and Infrastructure Group since.
After retiring from her conservation role, Ms Lindsey said she had since come back into the position.
"My satisfaction does stem from being a voice," she said.
"Even though I know some causes will be lost, it's better to have a voice than nothing."
Ms Lindsey has also written several papers for HBOC's annual publication, The Whistler and is a life member of the Hunter Wetlands Centre.
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
