Mindful Thoughts for Birdwatchers: Finding Awareness in Nature

Mindful Thoughts

by Adam Ford

Mindful Thoughts for Birdwatchers brings us closer to the birds we share the world with. Part of the Mindful Thoughts series, this beautifully illustrated little book meditates on all aspects of birdwatching, including:

• City birds;
• The magic of birdsong;
• The art of looking and listening;
• Flock behaviour;
• The migration cycle;
• …and much more.

Noticing and appreciating the awesome nature of birdlife is a spiritually affirming activity—reconnecting us to the natural world, even if seen only from our window or back garden. From the sight of birds heading to roost at sunset to the delight of birdsong at dawn, there are moments every day when being aware of the avian life around us is inspiring and rewarding.

In 25 focused reflections, author Adam Ford shares observations on bird habits and qualities, including the delicate genius of the feather, the flight of the swallow and the intricacies of birds’ nests, reminding us of the wonders of our feathered friends.

If you like this, you might be interested in Mindful Thoughts for Gardeners, Mindful Thoughts for Walkers and Mindfulness and the Natural World.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals

160 pages, Hardcover

Published December 11, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Paul Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming and thought-provoking, it was a pleasure to enjoy this book in our garden while sharing it - the garden - with a few humble birds. I am looking at them with renewed appreciation for what they bring to our lives. The book is modest, but filled with bite-sized provocations to ponder.

[Asia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and refreshing! I love bird people

[K M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and refreshing little book.

[Joana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful pocketbook that can be a companion for birdwatchers. The illustrations are beautiful and it has more text and entries than I expected from a book of this size. It's not encyclopedic and tries to focus on the rewards of mindfulness we can get from birdwatching: watching in a city, keeping a journal, taking a new path, watching without binoculars, etc. It's not mind-blowing information but it is a very endearing object to have.

[Covadonga Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una pequeña joya para los amantes de la naturaleza y las aves, con un enfoque de vivir el momento y disfrutarlo.

[Jessica Macdonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little book connecting nature to mental health. A lot of surface level content but a nice enough quick read!

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

• sweet
• a book of gratitude for all the great parts of being a birdwatcher, and of birds
• adorable pocket size

[Pers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book rather irritating owing to the author's classism and ableism.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice combination of bird watching revelations and mindfulness meditation. And you get to learn that the Australian Magpie is actually not a magpie/crow family, but part of the infamous butcher bird/ Cracticus family.