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

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

As I settled into the sleeping bag in the back seat of the car, I revelled in the glorious stillness of the country at night. The first night away from the city you can feel the tension almost physically draining out of you as you gaze at the achingly beautiful sky and greedily inhale the invigorating fresh scent of the country.

Birding gave me the excuse to get out into the bush, to lose my self in the wider world of nature, detox my mind of everything that was going on. Without birdwatching who knows what sort of basket case I might have ended up? My God, I could even have become a lawyer.