Claire Thompson - The Art of Mindful Birdwatching: Reflections on Freedom & Being (Mindfulness series)

How often do you notice birds? Can you identify different species? Or have you never watched birds before? Rest assured, your experience to date is irrelevant. This book isnt about how much knowledge or expertise we have its about wholeheartedly enjoying our encounters with birds.

B IRDS HAVE ALWAYS FASCINATED PEOPLE. Poets, artists and scientists have forever been inspired by them and the majority of cultures include them in their art, music and legends. They appear in the mythology of Ancient Egypt, where the sacred ibis was venerated as a symbol of the god Thoth; in the Inca and Tiwanaku empires of South America, birds were depicted transgressing the boundaries between the earthly and underground spiritual realms; and bird song has inspired musicians and composers such as Vivaldi, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Birds can do wonders for our hearts and minds if we simply give them attention which is where mindfulness comes in.

I was once walking along the top of beautiful white cliffs on a sunny spring afternoon, enjoying the gentle sea breeze on my face and the scent of the salt-infused air. I stopped and looked out to sea. Four gulls were riding the wind along the cliffs, repeatedly circling out over the waves and back towards the cliff face. They let go, giving in to the air currents, slowly floating up and down. Their flight was effortless and free. I began to follow one of them with my gaze as it was lifted towards the sky on an unexpected updraught. It remained hanging in the air for a moment. The skill of its balancing act was astonishing continuously adjusting its tilt to remain upright, seemingly weightless, resting on the breeze. As I watched it rise, its pure white body looked radiant against the clear blue sky and sunshine lit up the contours of its graceful silhouette. At one with the wind, it was entirely present. Inspired and a little envious, I was moved to join it and opened my arms out, keeping my gaze on the bird. In that moment, all my thoughts and inhibitions vanished. The gull and I flew together, and the sense of freedom was intoxicating. I felt intensely alive.

They show their pleasure, and shall I do less? Happier of happy though I be, like them I cannot take possession of the sky, Mount with a thoughtless impulse and wheel there One of a mighty multitude, whose way And motion is a harmony and dance Magnificent.

FROM THE RECLUSE

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (17701850)