Sunday Bird Walks (October 2023)
It’s a practice of mine to walk prayerfully through the meadows near my house on Sunday mornings. So as my eco-ministry program drew to a close last month, I felt invited to re-engage these walks in a new way: to wander, camera in hand, and pray through the practice of contemplative photography. Contemplative photography, like contemplative practices, is a slowing of oneself in order to intentionally come deeper into the present moment. It’s a very different posture from snapping a quick picture and wondering where the moment went. The flutter of a leaf or the twitch of a branch becomes an invitation to pause and look more closely. While a camera is not required, it helps me to consider these invitations with new eyes, often seeing details or elements not immediately visible to my own eye. Finding a bird in a tree becomes a chance to linger and watch, soaking in the detail of this particular bird while this bird also enjoys the simple gifts of the moment.
I’ve just committed to this renewed practice, and I know from experience that contemplative or mindfulness practices take time to deepen within us, much like the flow of a river traces paths in the earth. Still, one month in, I’m reminded that it is a hard practice. I can’t deny a pang of FOMO or “What if…” when another birder or photographer walks by with a story of an owl or hawk they just saw in incredible light. What am I missing by being here? Should I go chase that down? Should I stay here with these more common birds? Should I linger longer when it seems like nothing is happening?
In choosing a contemplative practice, I’m choosing to practice a posture of trust that says, in the words of poet Wendell Berry, all I need is here. I am becoming more aware of the internal resistance within me at slowing down and being present. Yet each time I struggle through and try my best to come into the moment and place I am in, I am glad I am choosing this practice. There really is so much before me that doesn’t often reveal itself with a quick glance. I’m coming away each week feeling a part of the larger community of life around me, awed by the beauty and abundance that is here. Each month, I’ll share some of what I noticed through this practice. This month, I am reminded that “here” is more than enough.
Fall colors at Mercer Meadows in Lawrence Township, NJ
Song Sparrow taking a rest
Gray Catbird
Song Sparrow
Sweetgum seed pod
Song Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Harrier Hawk in flight
I’m still learning to confidently ID these birds, so if you see something that indicates it’s a different species, please let me know in the comments!