Sightings: Extraordinary Encounters with Ordinary Birds

In this collection of essays, bird watching forms the basis for observations spiritual and soulful, witty and wise. Philosopher-naturalist Sam Keen describes his childhood ramblings in the silence of the Tennessee wilderness as feeling distinctly more spiritual than the hard pews of his grandmother's church. Later in life, the presumed extinction and subsequent rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker prompts a meditation on the nature of the sacred.

Blessed with moments of beauty and the insight to recognize them as such, Keen translates the marvels of nature into the language of heart and soul. Plus, beautiful watercolor illustrations from Mary Woodin make this compact book especially attractive.