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.
the gospel according to birds
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- 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?
266 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.
289 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.
249 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.
463 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.
559 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.
396 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.
711 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?
941 views
- Dec 4, 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.
259 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.
174 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.
433 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.
148 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
140 views
- Mar 28, 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?
1,843 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.
395 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.
489 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?
306 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?
613 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.
571 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.”
205 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.
153 views
- Jul 4, 2020
- 2 min
Ornitheology: The Origins of a Splendid Made-Up Word
"To remain sane and grounded on this planet, every one of us should make some sort of attentive effort to some aspect of God's creation..."
682 views
