When the World Trade Center towers were struck on Sept. 11, 2001, I was in New York’s Central Park birding with a friend. As the horror of the events became clearer, I found myself returning to the park day after day, along with untold numbers of others. Most were walking slowly, somber and contemplative, greeting one another in a shared kinship of tragedy. I remember being deeply moved by the warmth expressed by people yearning for affirmation of life, finding solace along the quiet footpaths that wound through ponds and woodlands and open fields.
After one of those outings only a few days after the attack, I returned to our high-rise apartment. I looked out the window and spotted a kestrel, then a couple more, flying by as they hawked green darner dragonflies. Those falcons were carrying on an age-old pattern, one they pursue every September as they migrate southward, following the dragonflies’ simultaneous migration. That moment is seared in my memory. The perception of that simple, annual odyssey warmed and uplifted my spirits in an indescribable way. No matter how dark, how horrific the recent events, the rhythm of nature continued. It spoke of life, of unstoppable vitality and beauty.
Wendy Paulson Birds of Barrington – Kestrel
I think of that time in the midst of this global pandemic. While the character and scale of the circumstances are very different, the need for comfort and solace is the same. Now living in Illinois, I find both in the bugling of sandhill cranes as they return to northern latitudes to breed, in the emergence of the early spring ephemerals, in the songs of chorus frogs on warmer evenings.
Nearly 20 years ago I was surprised by how many New Yorkers were drawn to Central Park. In the current crisis, the news of people flocking to parks and preserves in Illinois and around the country and the world — even, sadly, as more of those open spaces are being shut daily — seems completely logical. Nature offers balm to wounded hearts, peace to troubled thoughts, light and life that outshine the darkness and gloom of the daily news. Just this week, I received a message from a good friend in China including photographs of Japanese waxwings, an elegant bird species. She told me what joy they brought her. Another friend, this one local, sent a photo of a crayfish he had found with scores of tiny offspring on its belly. Many others have shared such natural discoveries.
Now, even more than after 9/11, I realize how essential nature is to mankind. It invites, inspires, nourishes, instructs, soothes, gladdens, fascinates, delights. My hope is that when we emerge from this troubling time, people around the globe will find themselves more keenly aware of how blessed we are by the gifts of the natural world — prairies, wetlands, forests, mountains, deserts, oceans and all their remarkable inhabitants — as well as by wild pockets in cities and towns.
Even more, I hope the recognition of nature’s value leads us to contemplate our individual and collective roles in caring for our planet as it has for us. As the 50th anniversary of Earth Day approaches — in a year that feels unsettlingly bleak — committing ourselves to more active Earth stewardship seems a logical, fitting and entirely necessary outcome.
Wendy Paulson has lived in Barrington Hills since 1975, and has led bird walks in the area for many years. She re-established the Nature Lady program in the Barrington 220 school district and St. Anne’s in the late 70s, under the auspices of The Garden Club and Little Garden Club of Barrington. Wendy developed the education program for Citizens for Conservation, initiated and edited its newsletter, and has been an active volunteer with CFC for over 30 years.
Wendy Paulson
During interludes in New York City and Washington, DC, Wendy taught classes about birds in the public schools and is helping to develop a similar program in Chicago public schools with Openlands. She is chairman of The Bobolink Foundation, serves on the board or advisory committee of multiple conservation and bird-related organizations, both domestic and international, and is former chairman of IL and NY chapters of The Nature Conservancy.
Wendy and her husband Hank have two grown children and are avid hikers, cyclists, and kayakers.
CLICK HERE to explore all of the local bird profiles Wendy has authored in our Birds of Barrington series at 365Barrington.com.
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Northern Harrier
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Merlin
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Gray Catbird
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Spring Homecoming
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Brown Creeper
Wendy Paulson’s Barrington Area Bird Walks Return for Late Summer & Fall, 2020
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Barrington Christmas Bird Count Helps Map Population Trends Globally
Annual Christmas Bird Count to Reveal New Insights on Barrington Bird Population
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Field Sparrow
New Schedule of Fall Bird Hikes with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Yellowthroat
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Wilson’s Snipe
New Schedule of Spring Bird Hikes with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Red-breasted Merganser
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Cooper’s Hawk
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Robin
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Bald Eagle
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Wood Peewee
Wendy Paulson’s Barrington Area Bird Hikes this Fall!
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Chimney Swift
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Yellow Warbler
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Song Sparrow
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Goldeneye
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Of Music & Mourning Doves
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Northern Shrike
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Tale of the Turkey Vulture
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Song of the Sedge Wren
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Dickcissel Discovery
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American White Pelican
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Woodcock
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Merganser
Barrington Area Spring Bird Walks & Hikes with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Tree Sparrow
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Golden-crowned Kinglet
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Blue Jay
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Goldfinch
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Black-billed Cuckoo
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Brown Thrasher
Spring Bird Spotting with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Wood Duck
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Red-bellied Woodpecker
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | White-throated Sparrow
365. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Great Horned Owl
311. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Pied-billed Grebe
266. New Schedule of Fall Bird Hikes With Wendy Paulson
265. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Nighthawk
235. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Cedar Waxwing
200. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Indigo Bunting
164. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Scarlet Tanager
163. Stunning Photos Captured During Annual Baker’s Lake Island Rookery Bird Count
126. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Eastern Towhee
97. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Return of the Red-winged Blackbird
61. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: The Upside-Down Bird
60. New Season of Spring Bird Walks & Hikes with Naturalist Wendy Paulson
43. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Downy Woodpecker Yawns at Dawn
13. The Ultimate Recycling Project Refreshes Heron Rookery with Christmas Trees
6. Recycled Christmas Trees Bound for Rookery Island
5. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Red-tailed Hawk
321. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: The Sandhill Crane
278. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
248. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Call of the Killdeer
228. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Barn Swallows Signal Autumn’s Approach
199. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Eastern Kingbird
153. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Baltimore Oriole
126. Wendy Paulson Highlights The Great Blue Heron, Barrington’s Official Town Bird
125. Hands of Hope’s 14th Annual Barrington Country Garden & Antique Faire
89. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Meadowlark, the Flautist of Prairies
66. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Northern Cardinal
64. Barrington Spring Bird Walks with Wendy Paulson
36. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Black-Capped Chickadee
18. Christmas Trees Transported to Refresh Nests at Baker’s Lake Rookery
337. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | ‘Tis the Season for Snowbirds
279. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Bluebird
201. Fall Bird Walks Scheduled with Wendy Paulson
186. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Bobolink
116. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Great Egret Spotting at Baker’s Lake
84. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Finding the Northern Flicker
72. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | An Eye on the Eastern Phoebe
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