Life as an extreme birder

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Extreme birder John Weigel describes participating in The Big Year, a 12-month bird-spotting competition in the US where rivals check off as many species as they can. This involved 160 flights, around 100,000 kilometres of driving, 6,000 miles of walking, and a memorable night crying in a hotel. 'I didn't crack, but I could have.' Photo: Man birdspotting on the coast Credit: Getty Images