Overview

A BIRDING JOURNEY AT HOME AND BEYOND It began with a flutter of yellow feathers flitting through the trees, casting beams of sunshine and promise that burst through her kitchen window. This was her sign to look up. As a licensed therapist, Tammah Watts knew that she needed to seek and accept hope, love, and support to overcome her chronic pain and cultivate resilience. But she could not predict that the little yellow bird would put her on the path to healing by fostering a powerful connection with birds and the experience of birding. Tammah shares her emotional journey of finding comfort and inspiration from her feathered friends, while providing practical tips and tools to help you: Explore the practice of birdwatching from the comfort of your own home and community Increase your self-awareness, mindfulness, and concentration Find acceptance and alignment with the spirit and beauty of birds Right outside your door flies just what you’ve been looking for to help ease symptoms of stress, pain, depression, and anxiety. All you have to do is look up, take notice, and open your heart and mind. No matter where you are, what you look like, or what you're going through, you can create sacred space and connection with birds and begin to heal.

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9781401963347

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Reviews

“Tammah weaves personal stories, practical information, and wisdom prompts that activate connection with our self and our winged ones. In a disconnected world, in need of healing and repair, this book is much-needed medicine for all.” — Asha Frost, Wiida’adoon Aanimkikaa (she who walks with the Thunderbirds), best-selling author of You are the Medicine, indigenous healer, mentor, and ceremonial speaker “Tenderly linking bird behaviors and human habits, Tammah brings attention to life, in and outside our nests, inviting us toward deeper respect and connection for all that is part of Mother Nature.” — Kelly McDaniel, LPC, therapist and author Ready to Heal and Mother Hunger “A powerful and important doorway of awareness and connection. So much healing, guidance, and inspiration can be found in the ways our lives and the lives of our winged friends are intertwined.” — Micah Mortali, MA, author of Rewilding, founder and director of the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership “Provides concrete steps in which the grounding qualities of using nature and birdwatching can be therapeutic, whether you are currently participating in therapy or not. If you are looking for a new perspective, the kind voice of licensed therapist Tammah will help you find possibility and hope for healing.” — Abigail Burd, MSW, LCSW, PMH-C, psychotherapist and author of The Postpartum Depression Workbook “Not only do readers gain new birdwatching skills, but also insight into what it means to keep looking up, both at the world around them and at their own lives, in mindful, spacious, and healing ways.” — Ghada Osman, Ph.D., LMFT, C-IAYT, and author of Mental & Emotional Healing through Yoga: A Guiding Framework for Therapists and their Clients “A timely read that will inspire readers to look outdoors in search of feathered companions, to ignite joy, and affirm that birds and nature can support our overall well-being.” — Holly Merker, author of Ornitherapy: For Your Mind, Body, and Soul “Watts draws undeniable links between ecological interconnection and socio-psychological health—and purposefully articulates just how badly we need one another. A moving, necessary read for anyone in search of healing.” — Sydney Golden Anderson, MA, co-author of Birding for a Better World “The resource I wish I had when I began my birding journey. It has the power to change the lives of so many, especially those of us managing chronic illness, disability, and mental health challenges. Watts gently holds our hands in this sincere invitation to experience the healing powers of birds.” — Molly Adams, founder of the Feminist Bird Club and co-author of Birding for A Better World “The way Tammah describes how birds helped her time and time again to reconnect with the world, with herself, and with her well-being filled my heart with hope and love. I am now looking for feathered friends and the messages that their presence can bring to my life.” — Sandra Hinojosa Ludwig, award-winning author of Chica, Why Not? and coach “Tammah's beautiful testimony to the healing power of Nature will resonate with everyone—those who know the power and those looking for it. She has lovingly captured the despair of pain, the promise of Nature, and the healing exercises by which to 'begin again—renewed, informed, and enlightened.'” — Virginia Rose, founder of Birdability “This book combines inspiring autobiography with how-to guides to birding, navigating the birding community, and coping with chronic pain, to create a genuine guide for living, with our often-unappreciated bird relatives leading the way. If we can increase our attention to birds as a source of wisdom, we will all be better off. This book shows us how to include them in our lives.” — A. Tom Horvath, PhD, ABPP, author of Sex, Drugs, Gambling & Chocolate

Tammah Watts beautifully and powerfully explores the regenerative and uplifting power of birds, leading the reader on a journey from a chance glimpse of a warbler through a kitchen window to a practice that spans a lifetime. Tammah's approach to birding-as a private activity that grounds one in place, a communal one that forges and nourishes connections, and an emotional one that supports health and healing-ensures that her book has something for everyone who is even idly curious about the birds around them. - Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO, National Audubon Society Tammah weaves personal stories, practical information, and wisdom prompts that activate connection with our self and our winged ones. In a disconnected world, in need of healing and repair, this book is much-needed medicine for all. - Asha Frost, Wiida'adoon Aanimkikaa (she who walks with the Thunderbirds), best-selling author of You are the Medicine, indigenous healer, mentor, and ceremonial speaker Tenderly linking bird behaviors and human habits, Tammah brings attention to life, in and outside our nests, inviting us toward deeper respect and connection for all that is part of Mother Nature. - Kelly McDaniel, LPC, therapist and author Ready to Heal and Mother Hunger A powerful and important doorway of awareness and connection. So much healing, guidance, and inspiration can be found in the ways our lives and the lives of our winged friends are intertwined. - Micah Mortali, MA, author of Rewilding, founder and director of the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership Provides concrete steps in which the grounding qualities of using nature and birdwatching can be therapeutic, whether you are currently participating in therapy or not. If you are looking for a new perspective, the kind voice of licensed therapist Tammah will help you find possibility and hope for healing. - Abigail Burd, MSW, LCSW, PMH-C, psychotherapist and author of The Postpartum Depression Workbook Not only do readers gain new birdwatching skills, but also insight into what it means to keep looking up, both at the world around them and at their own lives, in mindful, spacious, and healing ways. - Ghada Osman, Ph.D., LMFT, C-IAYT, and author of Mental & Emotional Healing through Yoga: A Guiding Framework for Therapists and their Clients A timely read that will inspire readers to look outdoors in search of feathered companions, to ignite joy, and affirm that birds and nature can support our overall well-being. - Holly Merker, author of Ornitherapy: For Your Mind, Body, and Soul Watts draws undeniable links between ecological interconnection and socio-psychological health-and purposefully articulates just how badly we need one another. A moving, necessary read for anyone in search of healing. - Sydney Golden Anderson, MA, co-author of Birding for a Better World The resource I wish I had when I began my birding journey. It has the power to change the lives of so many, especially those of us managing chronic illness, disability, and mental health challenges. Watts gently holds our hands in this sincere invitation to experience the healing powers of birds. - Molly Adams, founder of the Feminist Bird Club and co-author of Birding for A Better World The way Tammah describes how birds helped her time and time again to reconnect with the world, with herself, and with her well-being filled my heart with hope and love. I am now looking for feathered friends and the messages that their presence can bring to my life. - Sandra Hinojosa Ludwig, award-winning author of Chica Why Not? and coach Tammah's beautiful testimony to the healing power of Nature will resonate with everyone-those who know the power and those looking for it. She has lovingly captured the despair of pain, the promise of Nature, and the healing exercises by which to 'begin again-renewed, informed, and enlightened.' - Virginia Rose, founder of Birdability

Tammah Watts beautifully and powerfully explores the regenerative and uplifting power of birds, leading the reader on a journey from a chance glimpse of a warbler through a kitchen window to a practice that spans a lifetime. Tammah's approach to birding-as a private activity that grounds one in place, a communal one that forges and nourishes connections, and an emotional one that supports health and healing-ensures that her book has something for everyone who is even idly curious about the birds around them. - Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO, National Audubon Society Tammah weaves personal stories, practical information, and wisdom prompts that activate connection with our self and our winged ones. In a disconnected world, in need of healing and repair, this book is much-needed medicine for all. - Asha Frost, Wiida'adoon Aanimkikaa (she who walks with the Thunderbirds), best-selling author of You are the Medicine, indigenous healer, mentor, and ceremonial speaker Tenderly linking bird behaviors and human habits, Tammah brings attention to life, in and outside our nests, inviting us toward deeper respect and connection for all that is part of Mother Nature. - Kelly McDaniel, LPC, therapist and author Ready to Heal and Mother Hunger A powerful and important doorway of awareness and connection. So much healing, guidance, and inspiration can be found in the ways our lives and the lives of our winged friends are intertwined. - Micah Mortali, MA, author of Rewilding, founder and director of the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership Provides concrete steps in which the grounding qualities of using nature and birdwatching can be therapeutic, whether you are currently participating in therapy or not. If you are looking for a new perspective, the kind voice of licensed therapist Tammah will help you find possibility and hope for healing. - Abigail Burd, MSW, LCSW, PMH-C, psychotherapist and author of The Postpartum Depression Workbook Not only do readers gain new birdwatching skills, but also insight into what it means to keep looking up, both at the world around them and at their own lives, in mindful, spacious, and healing ways. - Ghada Osman, Ph.D., LMFT, C-IAYT, and author of Mental & Emotional Healing through Yoga: A Guiding Framework for Therapists and their Clients A timely read that will inspire readers to look outdoors in search of feathered companions, to ignite joy, and affirm that birds and nature can support our overall well-being. - Holly Merker, author of Ornitherapy: For Your Mind, Body, and Soul Watts draws undeniable links between ecological interconnection and socio-psychological health-and purposefully articulates just how badly we need one another. A moving, necessary read for anyone in search of healing. - Sydney Golden Anderson, MA, co-author of Birding for a Better World The resource I wish I had when I began my birding journey. It has the power to change the lives of so many, especially those of us managing chronic illness, disability, and mental health challenges. Watts gently holds our hands in this sincere invitation to experience the healing powers of birds. - Molly Adams, founder of the Feminist Bird Club and co-author of Birding for A Better World The way Tammah describes how birds helped her time and time again to reconnect with the world, with herself, and with her well-being filled my heart with hope and love. I am now looking for feathered friends and the messages that their presence can bring to my life. - Sandra Hinojosa Ludwig, award-winning author of Chica, Why Not? and coach Tammah's beautiful testimony to the healing power of Nature will resonate with everyone-those who know the power and those looking for it. She has lovingly captured the despair of pain, the promise of Nature, and the healing exercises by which to 'begin again-renewed, informed, and enlightened.' - Virginia Rose, founder of Birdability This book combines inspiring autobiography with how-to guides to birding, navigating the birding community, and coping with chronic pain, to create a genuine guide for living, with our often-unappreciated bird relatives leading the way. If we can increase our attention to birds as a source of wisdom, we will all be better off. This book shows us how to include them in our lives. - A. Tom Horvath, PhD, ABPP, author of Sex, Drugs, Gambling & Chocolate

Author Information

Tammah Watts has served the community for over 35 years in managerial, clinical, and consulting roles for private, non-profit, community college, and public sectors. After suffering a neurological injury following a routine surgical procedure, she found herself unable to return to the work she loved. Yet her experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist, mother, wife, grandmother, daughter, sister, and friend has helped her to chronicle her own personal struggles to overcome physical and mental health challenges through the powerful healing of birdwatching. You can visit her at tammahwatts.com.

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