Birdwatching doesn’t make me forget Covid, but it helps me see life anew | Debbie Lustig

In lockdown, every day is the same. Unless it's a day when a bird has visited - these I recall instantly, and with joy

• Australian bird of the year poll 2021

Last month, events in Melbourne took a memorable turn, for all the wrong reasons. Protests and the earthquake fed more tension into our interminable, sixth lockdown. But for me nothing equalled what happened one morning, when a spotted pardalote appeared through the window outside my living room.

It's hard to describe the thrill of seeing such an exquisite bird so close. I'd heard one for months, tinkling its three-note call all over the neighbourhood, but could only look for it in vain.