In a bleak year, the natural world stirs hope

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.

* First published in The Washington Post, April 4, 2020.

Gapstow Bridge Central Park, New York City

About Wendy Paulson

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.

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 | 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

60. Citizens for Conservation Spring Bird Hikes

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