The wonder of birds never ceases to amaze me. About a month ago, I walked out of my friends’ front door to find their cat devouring a baby bird. The cat had placed another baby bird in front of the door. I instantly scooped it up and held it. It was still warm, and it’s breathing was regular. My friends and I wrapped it in a soft cloth for the night, and the next morning, I drove an hour to deliver it to a Seabiscuit Wildlife Rehabilitation Shelter in Oak Island, NC. It died about 30 minutes after our arrival there.
I’m still convinced that had I known how to care for it and feed it, or had I taken it to the center sooner, it would have lived. Today I spent the afternoon at Seabiscuit learning how to rescue and transport injured birds. I stood one foot from a caged Eastern screech owl, and I stood next to an injured loon in its cage and hand fed it fish.
As I heard its haunting call, I remembered the nights I spent on a lake in Maine during the summer of 2005 when I was awakened at 2am each night by a symphony of loons. Recalling the experience today brought back the same feelings of awe, meaning, and appreciation for life’s mystery that I felt during those nights.
I’ve been in love with birds since I was a young girl. I learned about them in school and loved making drawings of them in colored pencils. My Dad built feeders that we placed by the dining room window during winter, and he built bluebird boxes that we posted at the edge of the yard.
My morning meditation has included sound meditation of birdsong for many years. Watching, feeding, and caring for the birds still brings the same feelings of wonder and awe that I felt as a child. This year, I finally saw my first painted bunting. One can’t see these beautiful birds and not feel a sense of wonder at their magnificence. The birds continually keep me awake and aware of the necessity of a reciprocal relationship with nature in order for us all to survive. Try connecting with the wonder of birds, and notice how your life changes for the better.
In what aspect of nature do you find a sense of the sacred, or that which brings you a sense of wonder and awe? Try to recall a specific experience of awe in nature and writing about it in great sensory detail in your mindful journaling practice.
Jen Johnson is a mindfulness therapist and coach teaching meditation for healing and creativity.