2026-01: Birdwatching

This winter we’ve been spending a lot of time watching birds. In the quiet of the woods, birdwatching has become less about identifying species and more about practicing attention: learning where to look, how long to wait, and which small changes in movement or sound mean that something is there. The landscape begins to feel different when you watch it this closely. A seemingly empty tree becomes a gathering place; a call from across the creek reveals an invisible neighbor; tracks in the snow continue a story after its author has disappeared. Paying attention is a way of acknowledging that the world is full of lives proceeding alongside our own, whether or not we happen to notice them. Before we can think seriously about reciprocity—about what we owe the places and creatures around us—we have to learn how to see them.