The Thing with Feathers: birds and hope with Courtney Ellis

Courtney Ellis

courtneyellis@substack.com

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Booking Overview

A birds-and-wonder series that pairs expert guests with hope-filled perspectives on why looking up matters. The show blends nature writing with credibility-driven storytelling, making it a strong fit for science education, theology-adjacent voices, and conservation-minded authors.

Metrics

Episodes: 125

Frequency: Weekly

Rating: 4.9/5.0

Estimated listeners: 1k-10k

Gender skew: Female

Location: USA

Contact Information

courtneyellis@substack.com

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Host

Courtney Ellis - Hosts The Thing with Feathers: birds and hope, sharing stories and conversations about how birds help us keep looking up. She publishes under courtneyellis.substack.com and frames each episode arou...

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

medium
Typical Credentials:  
Book authors and subject-matter experts connected to birds/nature (e.g., ornithology/natural history/conservation) and/or explicitly theology-adjacent topics that align with the show’s themes of hope and looking up.
Required Achievements:  
Published books with a notable press (e.g., Eerdmans), Authoring nature history/ornithology works, Demonstrated expertise through research, writing, or long-form scholarship

Recent Guest Discussions

Patrick Dean - Book Discussion On Mark Catesby (early 1700s Naturalist), American Natural History Origins, And Whether The Ivory-billed Woodpecker Could Still Be Out There.

Amar D. Peterman - Neighbors/community Building Through A Theological Lens; Living The Common Good Locally (potlucks, Block Parties, Hospitality).

Elizabeth Berget - Motherhood As Sacred Work; How Maternal Care Reveals God’s Love Across Pregnancy, Birth, Adoption, Trauma, And Delight.

Recent Topics

Ornithology, Conservation, Theology, Natural History, Biodiversity

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
The Thing with Feathers: birds and hope with Courtney Ellis
:

126: America’s First Bird Guy

July 06, 2026

Have you ever wondered how birding in America truly began? You may have a few names in mind—people like Audubon or Wilson or Lewis and Clark. But have you ever heard of Mark Catesby?Patrick Dean joins us on the show today to chat about his new book Nature’s Messenger: Mark Catesby and His Adventures in a New World. This book was such a delightful discovery of the life of a naturalist pioneer in America in the early 1700s. From Catesby’s beginnings as English gentility to his landing in North ...

125: Being Good Neighbors

June 29, 2026

Amar D. Peterman is a theology student, a fellow Wisconsinite (go Badgers!), and a big believer in the power of loving our neighbors as ourselves. His wonderful new book, Becoming Neighbors: The Common Good Made Local, is new with Eerdmans. Within it he describes what it means to come to the table, build community, and live as neighbors.I so appreciated Amar’s wisdom in this conversation. As a pastor and a parent, I think a lot about finding ways to build community within my own neighborhood ...

124: Loving like a Mother

June 15, 2026

Elizabeth Berget is the author of the beautiful new book Love Like a Mother: How the Sacred Work of Motherhood Reveals the Maternal Heart of God. If you are a mom, work with moms, are married to a mom, or have a mom (is that everyone? I think it’s everyone), this book will be a wonderful encouragement to you.From pregnancy to birth to adoption, from trauma to delight, from compassion to strength, Berget walks us through the ways mothers show, work out, and experience God’s deep love through t...

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