Winged Mystery

by Kai Siedenburg, author of the Poems of Earth and Spirit series

Today, a lovely

yet unfamiliar voice

creates ripples

in the stillness

of the morning.

The elegant, fluting call,

spiraling gracefully

up and down,

is as near

as the plants

outside my window

and yet utterly foreign.                       

I haven’t seen his face;

don’t know his name—

I know nothing

about him

but the sound

of his voice,

yet already he has

stirred my imagination

and captured my heart

with his enchanting song.      

Who is he—

this winged man

of mystery?

What does

he look like?

Where did

he come from?

And why now,

after all these years?

There is so much

I want to know.

For now,

I have the beauty

of his song,

and the beauty

of the mystery—

and that

is more than

enough.

The Birder and the Bird

by Kai Siedenburg, author of the Poems of Earth and Spirit series 

If we want

to know

about birds,

we are taught

to label,

categorize,

count,

to capture

these winged ones                

with a few words

or numbers,

reduce them

to a few marks

on a page.

But what

does that teach us     

about the essence

of bird-ness—

the wild beating

of wings,

the unbounded freedom

of flight,

the song

that must be sung—

even if no one

is listening?

A Small Brush with Greatness

by Kai Siedenburg 

I had to wait

more than 50 years,

but it finally happened…

a wild bird

landed on me—

or more precisely,

on the edge

of my journal—

but since that journal

was on my lap,

and I had been

writing in it

for most of the morning,

it felt like                     

a part of me.

And when

the pine siskin

swooped down

from a nearby redwood,

landed on

my journal,

and fixed me

with his

intense little gaze,

his bright black eyes

were only a foot away

from my brown ones.

So close!

So close!

Although

he was small in stature

(no more than five inches

from head to tail),

he was

a powerful presence,

a force of nature,

and I knew

in my bones               

that I had experienced

a brush with greatness.

Blue Joy

by Jo Koumouitzes

In Tobago’s lush embrace,

the blue-backed manakins sat,

chirping jewels on a branch,

wrapped in nature's chat.

The rustle of palms grew still,

the trade winds hushed their tune;

sunlight spilled like honey,

soft gold in afternoon.

Joy tiptoed through the forest,

barefoot, light as air;

in this Caribbean haven,

peace settled everywhere.

No need for songs of plenty,

no need for bright display—

just presence in Tobago,

where wonder meets the day.

Written by Dr. Barbara Patterson

Some people think of birding as a warm-weather activity, but winter offers unique opportunities, especially in the Rocky Mountains, where both endemic species and northern migrants can be found. Winter is a great time for beginners to dive into birding. Here’s why: ducks show off their stunning winter plumage compared to the colorful songbirds that show off more in spring. With bare trees and shrubs, birds become easier to see. Birds form flocks to search for food, stay warm, and protect themselves from other hungry birds. Some species are only present in Colorado during winter as they migrate from Alaska and Canada.

Incorporating birding into winter activities like snowshoeing or skiing enhances the experience, allowing you to connect with nature differently. Plus, birding encourages mindfulness since being fully present is crucial in noticing the sights and sounds of these winter visitors. It's a beautiful way to appreciate the natural world year-round.

Mindful birding combines the calming effects of mindfulness with the joy of observing birds, creating an enriching outdoor experience. The Fort Collins Audubon Society received an Audubon In Action Grant this year to train others in hosting mindful birding experiences that welcome everyone. The health benefits of this practice include lower blood pressure, reduced cortisol (the stress hormone), increased vitamin D, and exposure to phytoncides from trees, which boost the body's NK (natural killer) cells. Best of all, the simple joy of watching birds can be experienced anywhere—from your backyard, kitchen window, or out in the field—making birding accessible to everyone, even in winter!

Last month, the Fort Collins Audubon Society, Audubon Rockies, and Bird Conservancy of the Rockies hosted the Mindful Birding Project at Barr Lake State Park in Brighton. It was a beautiful day, and bird enthusiasts from three states and various organizations, including multiple Audubon chapters, came together. One of the highlights was spotting a family of barn owls (Photo: Meg Kast). This workshop kicked off a series of six programs designed to teach participants how to lead mindful birding programs in an inclusive and accessible way. Three national online seminars will occur in January and February 2025. In-person workshops are scheduled for March 22 in San Francisco and April 19 in Philadelphia. We are excited to share this practice with others.

In February this year, I had the privilege of co-hosting a mindful birding poetry walk with Red Rock Audubon staff member Morrigan DeVito. During Poetry Month, I presented about my work with Eco Artists Dialogue.

This month, in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage celebrations, I give a few tips for hosting a walk of your own, sharing some of what we learned at our Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve event, featuring the poetry of Du Fu.

Our planning schedule was as follows:

by Calli Mulligan

First language, first music

Our Earth ever heard

The voices of birds

Waves of sound, Carrying,

Traveling, heralding

Life's expansion of emotion

Human ancestors

Heard you, did they envy you?

Did they long for your song?

Nature's slow clock

Ticking, tinkering, misty hands

Of Evolution

A forest, rustling leaves,

Your songs, are quietude

For anxious souls

Ancient symphonies

Now overwhelmed, dissonance

Human cacophony

Our kin of the feathers

Vanishing too fast, lost voices

Distorted weather

The myth of Cassandra

Condemned to speak truth

But never to be believed

Feathers speak honestly

Prophecy, Augury

Ourselves, we deceive

Avian Synchronicity: My Life with Birds

By Calli Mulligan

Cedar Waxwing Image by Holly Merker

Image of a young White Ibis on a defoliated tree

by Robin Fidler

Read Robin Fidler’s “The Healing Power of Nature”

A blog of resiliency - of health and nature- after storms in life, and on the beautiful island of Sanibel, Florida

Red-and-green Macaw picks the flowers of a mountain immortelle to drink the water collected inside. If we were concerned about only the species or the photograph, the relationship between bird and tree would easily slip past our senses. - Faraaz Abdool

Birding and Being by Faraaz Abdool