A reflection on birding, mental health, and finding belonging in the natural world. We live in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex world and staying centered can feel more challenging by the day. It is easy to become weighed down by uncertainty, anxiety, or even despair – but we still have to find ways to move forward. We need sources of steadiness, connection, and hope. And if you ask me where we can find them, I will point you towards birds.  As the Earth tilts toward longer days in the Northern Hemisphere, the natural world begins to wake up from its winter dormancy. Temperatures rise, snow melts, trees begin to bud, flowers bloom, prairie dogs come out of their burrows, neotropical migrants return to their breeding grounds, and the sun’s warmth begins to beckon us to the outdoors once again.…