Forced to confront my own mortality, the currawong's carolling became a song of hope | Anna Sublet

These beady-eyed, bulletproof birds are an adaptive species - and their lift and lilt is like a flight path that takes me safely homeThe Australian bird of the year poll launches on 25 September 2023Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastOne year I built myself a little nest in a green tent, surrounded by moonahs and gumtrees. Inside, I had an old embroidered tablecloth, its coloured threads stitched in swirls. I had crocheted rugs, a bean bag, a small seat and a floor covering.From the tent I felt and heard the beauty in many small things: the way the light came through the fabric walls; the birds, so close to me, feeding in the wet soil; the magpies singing all morning from high up in the dry branches of the gumtree; tiny wrens of yellow and grey, a mass of them flitting in the tea tree; wattlebirds clacking; and the lift and lilt of the currawongs carolling. Continue reading...