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Yet Stott quickly nixes any temptation to anthropomorphize. When comparing birds' breeding and parenting habits to those of humans, he notes, "Human love is unique, because it is a reflection … of the eternal, selfless love of God himself, revealed on the cross, affirming the worth of its human objects, and leading to the 'steadfast love' of his covenant pledge to his people. So far from elevating bird behaviour by the use of extravagant anthropomorphic language, we should feel rebuked when they appear superficially to outshine us. The real mystery is not that birds can behave like humans, but that humans can behave like God."

The Birds Our Teachers is an unusual mix of theology and ornithology. Stott pulls together quotes from Martin Luther, G. K. Chesterton, C. H. Spurgeon, and scenes from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, mixing them with mentions of famous birdwatchers Roger Tory Peterson and John James Audubon, Woody Allen's movie Manhattan, and pop novels such as Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Where else could you see photos of pioneer missionary Hudson Taylor mixing with the comic puffins, or of All Souls Church (where Stott is rector emeritus) across from facts about the osprey? Or Bishop John Jewel of Salisbury a page away from a photo spread of cotton-candy-pink flamingoes? It's all quite intriguing. And the sumptuous, full-color photo spreads, mostly taken by Stott himself, serve as beautiful companions to the text. The only revision in the special collector's edition is the inclusion of a DVD with Stott's self-narrated, folksy travelogue of his 70th-birthday birding trip to the Falkland Islands, plus an audio book on the same disk.

Stott's passion for God's creation is clear as he pleads with Christians to pay attention to and care for the natural world: "It seems to me that nature study and Bible study should go together," Stott says, adding, "Many Christians have a good doctrine of redemption, but need a better doctrine of creation." He warns us that we would do well to reflect on Jeremiah's warning of a possible return to pre-creation chaos, darkness, and devastation: "So let's resolve to do all we can to protect and preserve our unique God-given environment, and so continue to enjoy its God-given biodiversity, not least its fascinating birds." Although The Birds Our Teachers isn't a devotional as such, it could be read well this way. Readers will gain a fresh appreciation of Scripture through increased knowledge of the colorful winged ones that give our world its stunning, varied, and joyful soundtrack.

Cindy Crosby is the author of By Willoway Brook and, with Thomas C. Oden, the Ancient Christian Devotional.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

An excerpt of the book accompanies this review.

The Birds Our Teachers: Biblical Lessons from a Lifelong Bird Watcher  is available at ChristianBook.com and other book retailers.

Cindy Crosby also wrote the following bird book reviews for Books & Culture:

For the Birds | What are we looking for? (March/April 2008)

Chuckleheads and Timberdoodles? | A bird book you need to add to your shelves. (March 26, 2007)

Other book reviews are in our books section.

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November (Web-only) 2008, Vol. 52