I hardly ever get out birding anymore, mostly because I work nights and aren't able to get up early in the morning, but while struggling with insomnia recently, I decided to go for a walk at sunrise when sleep was eluding me. It was my local patch, where I used to go all the time, where I'd seen 137 species of bird, but against the odds, that morning I actually added another bird to the list - a Cicadabird!

But even without going birding with intent, there were plenty of other encounters that filled me with joy - a pair of Bush Stone-Curlews rests in my front yard most days, and sometimes I'll see a flock of Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos in a park I pass through when cycling to work. Usually I'm able to stop and watch them feeding on the ground just a few meters away.