It began as a distraction when I was battling addiction. Now the more birds I recognise, the more I feel part of the natural world * Australian bird of the year – vote now When I started birding, it was daggy – that was precisely why I wanted to learn more. I wanted to do something so niche, so consuming, I could lose myself in it. I was in a funk that needed urgent lifting. It started as a distraction. I was battling addiction and mental illness, spending so long in clinics and therapists’ rooms my vitamin D count had bottomed out. This creature that I could catch so easily in my hands, feeling the heart beat and the strong wings flutter against my palms … has been to Siberia. Its tiny, quick eye has seen something big. A whole half of the Earth. Debbie Lustig is a Melbourne writer, birdwatcher and occasional wildlife rescuer Continue reading...