Author Ragan Sutterfield, a priest in the Episcopal Church who serves a parish in his native Arkansas, became a passionate birder in his preteens. Over time, he began to contemplate the connection between birding and spiritual practices that draw the observer into a closer relationship with God. He writes, “But how? I have been thinking about that question ever since I began to pursue the life of prayer that led me toward the priesthood. Why was it that watching birds seemed to be as formative for the deepest parts of my life as more traditional spiritual practices? In what ways did birding echo those more conventional habits of the soul?”
Sutterfield’s years of observing birds helped him to discover specific ways that birding can be a spiritual practice.
Though written from a Christian perspective, Sutterfield hopes people from other religious traditions will also glean much from his book. Also, he invites all birders to read his book, no matter how extensive their commitment to birding: “Whether you are a serious birder that drops everything to chase a rarity or a backyard birder who enjoys the common species of your neighborhood, I hope that Watch and Wonder will deepen your love for winged and wild creatures and draw you into a deeper care for their plight. There is beauty and hope and healing if we slow down and pay attention.”
Sutterfield’s book was born out of his love for birds and the people he met on his decades-long birding journey. It is replete with his birding experiences, calls for creation care, laments for destructive human practices that affect bird populations, and celebrations when bird habitats are maintained or restored.
(Broadleaf Books)