A Flutter Of Feathers

A Yellow Warbler sits on high during spring migration.

Keep Looking Up - Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching
by Tammah Watts

After years of birdwatching, whether from my backyard, or in local parks and preserves, the act of observing birds never gets old.  The act of birdwatching can be awe-inspiring, exhilarating, a mystery in flight. Once that first spark bird happens, the drive to see more follows.  To see the birds, identify different species, count as many species seen in a day as possible. To take photographs. Then even better photographs, For many it is a deep, deep passion.

But there is always room for more discovery, more connection. Sometimes it's good to take a step back. Put down the binoculars, the list, the camera, and just breathe, and observe.  This is the beauty of wisdom shared in Tammah Watts new book: Keep Looking Up.

Keep Looking Up - by Tammah Watts

Watts introduces the act of bird observation as a healing balm to many ailments, physical and emotional. By way of her own personal journey, she shares the way in which the simple observation of a warbler through a kitchen window can help us to set aside the stress of life, our physical or emotional pain, and just be in the moment with a thing of beauty most profound.

Part memoir, part beginner's guide, Keep Looking Up is filled with reflections on Watts' personal experiences, and with tips and prompts for encouraging our own healing through observing birds in the wild, and from the view of our own kitchen windows.

She illustrates that no matter who you are, what you look like, or where you live, finding peace and healing through a connection with birds is a universal possibility. It's a lovely read as well.