deeply troubled by overt cruelty

Reminded about the callous treatment of wild creatures for profit (http://futureofbirds.blogspot.com/2014/02/illegal-trade-in-wildlife.html  -- very similar to human trafficking) has left me deeply troubled.

edge of marsh

Evening surface of wetland's water is silk-like
I stand in quiet awe
Nearby are myriad lifeforms
My practice is to be here
Paying attention.

Anne LaBastille

many steps

The road I traveled was a springtime road
A bird-rich road
A road of thirst.
But it was road rich in lessons, not the lessons I expected.
The lessons taught me to value other gifts,
Not the gifts I thought I knew. Gifts of help,
Gifts of time, gifts especially of
Conversation and connection.
Now I need to remember this new knowledge.
I am still traveling this road - perhaps I always will be.

Each individual

The population of individuals; not each individual: that's what my training as an ecologist teaches me to focus on. After pondering this for years, I realize I have shifted my focus. I now see the individual as deserving of more attention than what my training led me to assume.

on the wing

Science is in God's right hand
Beauty is in her left
Finally knowing, learning where to stand
I can see as if aloft
The flight of birds can take me there
I can feel it at the heart
The wind, the light, the falcon's stare
I learn to play my part