The Cardinal Rule of Christmas
How did the cardinal score such a lucrative Christmas endorsement deal? There are at least three good reasons.
the gospel according to birds
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- Oct 1
- 8 min
Cowbird: Laying Eggs in the Wrong Nest
Birdwatchers have long villainized the squirrel, but there's a darker evil lurking in your backyard. And it wants to pawn off an egg on you.
277 views
- Aug 17
- 6 min
Pileated Woodpecker: Words That Build or Destroy
A strong beak can build a grand nest. It can also crank up the volume. Do we use our words to build a safe place, or just to overpower?
385 views
- Aug 10
- 5 min
Acorn Woodpecker: Words That Keep Record
An Acorn Woodpecker never forgets. Staring at a woodpecker granary makes you consider the sorts of words you’re storing up and filing away.
298 views
- Aug 3
- 4 min
Sapsucker: Words That Wound or Heal
A sapsucker uses its mouth to wound a tree and trap its prey. A simple word from our own human mouths can accomplish the same.
257 views
- Jul 28
- 4 min
Woodpecker: Taming the Beak
“No human being can tame the tongue.” But what about a woodpecker? The first in a 4-part series on woodpeckers and the power of words.
470 views
- May 29
- 5 min
An Open Letter to Thoughtlessly-Named Birds
Inexplicably, a naturalist looked at you and thought to himself, "Meh. I’ve seen better." And so you got branded: Common. Lesser. Least.
578 views
- Apr 28
- 7 min
The Humblest Bird in America
A bird that ranks 200th out of 200 on the bird-obnoxiousness scale might be worth a look for those wrestling with their own pride.
440 views
- Mar 7
- 9 min
Birdnados and Murmurations: Blessed Be the Tie That Binds
The flock makes the ordinary extraordinary. Swifts and starlings find their beauty in an invisible connectedness, like the Church.
817 views
- Jan 22
- 8 min
Arctic Tern: Chasing Daylight
No single creature on this globe lives more of its life in daylight than the Arctic Tern. To what lengths will we go to live in the light?
972 views
- Dec 3, 2021
- 4 min
Snowbound: A Christmas Story
God sent Jesus to speak our language, wear our frame, walk our soil, bear our burdens — to seek and save storm-disoriented sparrows like us.
287 views
- Nov 26, 2021
- 6 min
Inti Tanager: Something New Under the Sun
Discovering a new species should stir our imagination and humble anyone who thinks we’ve got this world pretty much figured out.
183 views
- Nov 4, 2021
- 9 min
Pigeon: Knowing the Way Home
Your purpose includes your place—a concept that can gift you with the freedom of roots. Want to learn the way home? Consider the pigeon.
451 views
- Apr 9, 2021
- 4 min
Birding Pt. 2: Pilgrims with Binoculars
An avian flash mob walked past their cars and further on into a growing upward-looking crowd... The word got out, and the faithful gathered.
154 views
- Apr 3, 2021
- 5 min
Heaven’s Important, But It’s Not the End of the World
"I’d rather be a comma than a full stop." By and large, wouldn’t we all? But it’s hard to get past this generic desire to something specific
144 views
- Mar 27, 2021
- 4 min
Birding Pt. 1: Magnificent Obsession
The pursuit of avian beauty offers a template for our communal pursuit of the Beautiful One.
348 views
- Feb 28, 2021
- 8 min
Lorikeet: In the Eye of the Beholder
How could a bird so valued on one side of the globe be so dismissed at the other?
1,853 views
- Jan 30, 2021
- 7 min
Mockingbird: Repeat After Me
If your life outlook is grounded in a commitment to personal growth, the mockingbird is an apt metaphor for you, a mascot of good-to-great.
415 views
- Dec 24, 2020
- 5 min
An Ornitheologist Looks at the 12 Days of Christmas
Birds make great gifts, but you have to know when to quit.
519 views
- Nov 26, 2020
- 4 min
Turkey: Gratitude for Awkward Grace
Could a live turkey—not just the cooked and basted type—evoke in us a gratitude for awkward grace?
461 views
- Oct 13, 2020
- 7 min
Wren: Lessons in Relentless Song
What if its DNA is shaped less like a double-helix and more like a treble staff?
668 views
- Sep 4, 2020
- 5 min
Hummingbird: Resisting a Rest
Like hummingbirds, we were made to move. Our wings and hearts should beat fast with holy purpose. Work matters. But so does rest.
579 views
- Jul 18, 2020
- 4 min
Cockatoo: The House Thrown In
“If you take care of the things that I value most, you will inherit so much more.”
208 views
- Jul 5, 2020
- 4 min
The Miracle of the Indestructible Socks
Of socks, desert miracles, and a never-worn-out promise that's factory-stitched to perfection.
157 views
