I remembered why I liked hanging out with the top rate twitchers – they might be freaks but they were awesomely brilliant freaks. - Sean Dooley

On one side of the retaining wall were the dank, wonderful mangroves teaming with life; on the other side, sitting on landfill, were modern houses and manicured lawns. Why is it that building the Great Aussie Dream Home invariably involves destroying other creatures’ homes?

Everything seemed to be falling into place perfectly. That had to be a worry.

The Twitcher’s list is very democratic. Each bird counts as one tick. There are no extra points for beauty or rarity.