As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.
There is a lot Christians can learn about our relationship with God if we only turn our eyes to the skies. During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells those who will listen, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matt. 6:26-27). I have started to see God’s creation in a new light thanks to birding. God is the One who made it all and sustains it all. The practice of birding gives us space to slow down and reflect on God’s care for his creation and for us.
Many Christians today are looking for a deeper connection with God. It’s good that we desire to spend time with our Creator. We should crave his presence “as the deer pants for streams of water” (Psalm 42:1). Many of us live life at a break-neck pace with very little time set aside for devotions, personal reflection, or (dare I say it) silence.
Many of us are also looking for ways to limit our use of screens and spend more time outside. A 2023 study found that 72% of teens in the U.S. reported feeling more peaceful when they were away from their phones, 38% admitted to spending too much time on their smartphones, and 46% said their parents are at least sometimes distracted by their smartphones when they’re trying to talk to them. For young and old, our devices are difficult to put down.
What if I told you birding could be the solution to both of these problems?
Where To Start
Bird-watching (or birding) is an extremely accessible hobby due to the presence of birds virtually everywhere you go. There is also no cost to getting into birding (unless you want to purchase a pair of binoculars); all you have to do is start looking and listening. Additionally, birding apps such as the Merlin Bird ID App has made birding easier than ever to get into. Merlin is most notorious for its ability to identify species of birds by simply recording their songs and calls. You can also get it to identify based on a photo or through a five-step questionnaire, though these are significantly less novel experiences. Before these apps, the best way to get into birding was to spend time with an experienced birder who could help you identify birds you saw or heard. Thanks to these apps, anyone can identify birds at the touch of a button.
It might seem counterintuitive to suggest that birding is a great way to get us off of our devices and then recommend an app in the very next breath. However, the use of the Merlin app is different from many others. Most apps are designed to keep your attention on the screen for as long as possible. Merlin is designed to get you outside and looking for birds. I often find myself turning the listening feature on and setting it down somewhere or maybe in my pocket while I’m walking. Additionally, Merlin is far from mandatory for a powerful experience while birding. It is simply a helpful tool for identification, especially for beginners.
Birding is one of the fastest-growing hobbies across the globe, and it’s not hard to understand why. It is an avenue that gives space to slow down, spend time in creation, and find connection with God, not to mention the health benefits of listening to birdsong, including alleviating anxiety. According to the Great Backyard Bird Count, use of the Merlin app in the United States grew by 97% in 2026, while Canada saw an 83% increase. Moreover, birding is no longer a hobby limited to older generations. As young people increasingly look for ways to limit screen time, many of them are turning to birding. The National Audubon Society claims that “about 30 percent of young people ages 16 to 34 take part (in birding).”
Spiritual Connection
Not only is birding a great hobby for people of all ages to pick up, it can be a life-changing spiritual practice. Many of us already find connection with God when we spend time outside in creation. Birding can be a great way to hone in even deeper on that connection with our Creator. I only just started getting into birding, and the experience for me has been like opening my eyes up to a new world. We are surrounded by a secret world of beauty and diversity that I never knew about up until a few months ago.
It is a common practice for birders to keep a “life list” of all of the birds they have seen or heard. I never would have guessed that my own life list would be rapidly approaching the 100 species milestone! I have been baffled and enthralled with God’s creativity on display through birds. The intricate songs of warblers, the daring agility of swallows, the sheer abundance of sparrows, the variety and complexity of each individual species is greater than I ever imagined.
Brady De Boer is geared up to go birding.
My wife and even my three young daughters (all younger than 4) have enjoyed getting into birding with me. A significant moment for our family has been the hunt for Cedar Waxwings. We frequently hear them out our back door, identified by the app. But they are on the other side of the hedge, so we’d never actually seen one. I read a bit about them and found out that they have an affinity for fruit trees, which are relatively common in our area even just in people’s yards. One morning while walking our dog with my two oldest girls I heard one, but only caught a glimpse of it in a Juneberry tree as it flew away. So close!
A few mornings later we decided to all walk together because my wife wanted me to show her the spot we found them, and we ended up spotting four of them in that same tree! A few minutes later I noticed another Juneberry tree on a different property, and we saw almost 10 of them picking at the small berries in the branches. Not only was it a thrill to finally find the bird that we’d been so interested in for the past few days, but it was another eye-opening moment of the hidden world of birds. Never in my life had I seen a Cedar Waxwing (or even heard of it for that matter). But they’ve always been there, snacking on berries, their unique black mask and blended beautiful colouring, singing their highpitched song in praise of their Creator.
To this day, Cedar Waxwings are among my favorite birds because their unique beauty is unlike anything I’d seen before. Their feathers blend together in a way you don’t often find in natural settings. As my own life list has grown I continue to be overwhelmed by the sheer vastness and creativity of God displayed through birds.
In his book, Considering Sparrows, Pastor Kevin Burrell compares Jesus to a turkey vulture—far from a glamorous comparison and likely not one many of us would make. In fact, vultures are widely considered a disgusting nuisance. However, there are powerful spiritual truths present in this comparison. The role of vultures is a vital one in our ecosystem. They are, similar to Christ, removers of death and disease. The incredible digestive system of a turkey vulture has the power to neutralize anthrax, rabies, cholera, and salmonella in an instant. Their consumption of death and disease keeps our world cleaner and lowers our own risk of exposure to these deadly pathogens.
Turkey vultures are not the most glamorous of birds, to say the least, but our Messiah is similarly described in Isaiah 53:2, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” The next time you see a vulture soaring and circling or picking at carrion on the side of the road, say a quick prayer to Jesus thanking him for his ability to overcome death and disease for our sake.
These are just a few examples of how my own birding experience has had a significant spiritual impact on me. I’m learning more to trust God for my daily needs. My appreciation for the depth of him and his creation grows daily. I am learning to see even things like vultures in a new light as birds point us to the saving work of Christ’s death and resurrection. He has overcome death and disease on our behalf! He alone deserves the glory!