The mysterious clicking sound

Mar 20, 2025

When you live out here at Gwango Heritage Resort, strange noises don’t scare you. They intrigue you. The rustling of leaves, distant calls in the night, even the odd thud on a rooftop… you get used to it all. But every now and then, a sound comes along that demands attention.

Take the other day for example. A loud rhythmic snapping sound echoed through the front office. At first, no one thought much of it, just another bush mystery. But then came the panic. The sound wasn’t out there. It was right here. And yet, nothing was in sight.

Now, when the front office team is unsettled, you know it’s serious. They are usually the first to hear or see things before the rest of us and they have seen enough not to be easily rattled. So if they weren’t treating this as just another bush noise, you can see why we were starting to worry. Before long, a full-fledged search was underway. Was it under the tables? Behind the counter? Outside? The clicking sound kept shifting, like whatever was making it was playing hide and seek. Then someone finally spotted it. A tiny beetle, flat on its back, launching itself into the air like a possessed popcorn kernel.

The culprit? A Click beetle. This little insect has a built-in spring-loaded mechanism. When it gets flipped over, it bends its body, locks it in place and then releases with a snap, sending itself flying and making a sharp clicking sound. A built-in survival trick that, in an office setting, doubles as a great way to cause chaos. Normally, they flip over in one go, but this one was stuck between the shelves, jumping too high and missing its landing, so it just kept trying.

Once we figured it out, the panic turned to fascination. The Click beetle was scooped up and given a moment in the spotlight - briefly admired before being safely relocated outside. And just like that, the mystery of the clicking sound was solved.

The real lesson here? If something goes click click in the bush, don’t be too quick to assume the worst. Sometimes, it’s just an overenthusiastic beetle trying to get back on its feet.