# The Bird Watcher **by Catherine Buercklin** She sits. Stoic. Deciding who she wants to be in this moment. The bird watcher craves the best of the day, like anyone. Knowledge. Beauty. Passion. Meaning. An unabated purpose only animals seem to know. The pads of their paws etched with earthy glaze as they make their way through moor and mire to graze on yesterday’s life. Sometimes it’s their brilliance that leaves her breathless. But more often than not, it’s the idea that creatures so wild and gentle exist in this world at all.