The Thing with Feathers: birds and hope with Courtney Ellis

Mark Robertson teaches high school English in San Juan Capistrano, California, a city also known as the spiritual home of the famous cliff swallows. It is from this perch (ha! see what we did there?) that he delves into the world of birds, birding photography, and all things literature.

Friends, I enjoyed my conversation with Mark so very much. His answers to my questions wove together theology, poetry, Scripture, and a deep love and appreciation for all things avian.

From Makoto Fujimura to NT Wright, from Murder on the Orient Express to bearing witness, this is an episode not to be missed.

You may also wish to follow Mark on Instagram or Twitter to see his fabulous bird photos and the whimsical creations of short videos set to music. My kids eat them up. So do I.

Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Author, speaker, and professor of communication Quentin Schultze grew up in rough circumstances. The child of an alcoholic father who died young and a schizophrenic mother, one of the few things he found solace and connection in was studying robins with his mother.

Decades later, he birds with his wife Barbara in the woods of Western Michigan and beyond. From Sandhill Cranes to Black-capped Chickadees, join us on a journey through the hope of birding in a world riddled with grief.

You can follow more of Quentin’s writings and musings over on his website: www.quentinschultze.com.

Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Trauma therapist , birder, and author of My Summer with Ospreys, Pamela Lowell believes that hope is a great motivator.

From her decades of work with people dealing with immense suffering, she’s found that nature can be an incredible balm.

But when her enjoyment of birds in the marsh behind her home was drowned out by the sound of chainsaws, it turned out that her sanctuary was being clear cut. 100 acres torn down… for a parking lot.

Thus began Pamela’s foray into activism, birding, and seeking care for the Ospreys who now found themselves at great risk.

“Nature can also break your heart,” she said.

Join us for this special episode all about Ospreys, but also about hope, transformation, and what a few determined people can do to help save one little corner of the world.

Birding links:

The Merlin Bird ID App

eBird

iNaturalist

The Thing with Feathers is hosted and produced by Courtney Ellis. Original music by Del Belcher. New episodes bi-weekly on Mondays.

Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Lore Ferguson Wilbert shares with us about her new book The Understory: An Invitation to Rootedness and Resilience from the Forest Floor. Together we talk grief, hope, the birds of the understory, and how sometimes it is when it seems that all hope is lost that God shows up.

Links from Lore's show:

Lore's book - The Understory

Lore on Substack

Lore's website

Lore on Twitter (we refuse to call it X)

Lore on Facebook

Lore on Instagram

The Thing with Feathers is hosted and produced by Courtney Ellis. Original music by Del Belcher. New episodes every other Monday.

Enjoying the show? Take a moment and rate, review, or share with a friend. And don't forget to subscribe!

Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Together we walk through Trish O'Kane's beautiful new book, Birding to Change the World, including the New Orleans disaster story that first led her into birding.

Join us for this episode of The Thing with Feathers as Trish, author and senior lecturer in environmental justice at the University of Vermont, illuminates ways we might make a difference for the birds, our neighbors, and ourselves right where we are.

From the local marsh to ill-fated fireworks, from Madison, Wisconsin to rural Vermont, making a positive ecological impact is often easier—and more important—than we imagine.

Trish was such a wise, kind guest. Our conversation inspired me to look at my own community with new eyes, new hope, and new gratitude.

You can find Birding to Change the World anywhere books are sold.

Birding links:

The Merlin Bird ID App

eBird

iNaturalist

The Thing with Feathers is hosted and produced by Courtney Ellis. Original music by Del Belcher. New episodes bi-weekly on Mondays.

Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Trauma-informed Certified Grief Educator Mandy Capehart knows a thing or two about sorrow. Her first deep dive into grief came with the surprising and rapid decline of her mother in 2016. From there, she began learning all she could about how we grieve and what might help us heal.

Links from Mandy's show:

Restorative Grief (Mandy's website)

The Restorative Grief Podcast

Mandy on Twitter

Mandy on Instagram

Mandy on Facebook

Birding links:

The Merlin Bird ID App

eBird

iNaturalist

The Thing with Feathers is hosted and produced by Courtney Ellis. Original music by Del Belcher. New episodes bi-weekly on Mondays.

Subscribe on Substack.

Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Julie Zickefoose is one of those birding writers I’ve admired from afar for a long time. When I first got into birds during that miserable pandemic, her book, “Saving Jemima” was one of the first bird-related titles I picked up at our library.

I was captivated. Who knew little birds could have such big personalities? Who knew how much creativity and courage it would take to rehab a single bird?

You can check out Julie's books, illustrations, and more at her website, too. Or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

As a reminder, The Thing with Feathers podcast comes out bi-weekly on Mondays. If you love the show, I’d be honored if you’d share it with a friend and give it a review, too!

Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Gardening is for the birds!

But wait... can gardening actually be FOR the birds? Today we're joined by Jenn McGuinness, author of Bird-Friendly Gardening, to learn all about creating beautiful outdoor spaces that can bless our feathered friends.

Links from Jenn's show:

Jenn's blog

Jenn (Frau Zinnie) on Instagram

Jenn (Frau Zinnie) on Facebook

Birding links:

The Merlin Bird ID App

eBird

iNaturalist

The Thing with Feathers is hosted and produced by Courtney Ellis. Original music by Del Belcher. New episodes bi-weekly on Mondays.

Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Director of Conservation for the Audubon Upper Mississippi River, Dale Gentry believes there are lots of reasons to be hopeful. From new initiatives caring for the forests lining the Mississippi to bird-friendly grass-fed beef, join us as we learn more about what the Audubon is doing to care for creation.

Plus: we spend some time renaming the birds.

Links from Dale's show:

Dale's Audubon page

Conservation Ranching

Upper Mississippi River Program

Birding links:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merlin Bird ID⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠e-Bird⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow The Thing With Feathers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTWF on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTWF on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTWF on Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Thing With Feathers is produced by Courtney Ellis. Original music by Del Belcher. New episodes every-other Monday.

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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/courtney-ellis02/message

Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Avian biologist Emma Rhodes joins us to talk about all things migration, the joy of bird-banding, why American Redstarts are the perfect Halloween bird, and how to manage a huge group of volunteers.

Links from Emma's show:

Banding Coalition of the Americas

Emma on Twitter

Emma on Facebook

Banding Coalition on Facebook

Birding links:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merlin Bird ID⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠e-Bird⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow The Thing With Feathers:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTWF on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTWF on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTWF on Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Thing With Feathers is produced by Courtney Ellis. Original music by Del Belcher. New episodes every Monday.

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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/courtney-ellis02/message

Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe