Mental Health and Birdwatching
There is just something about birdsong that makes you feel good. It’s as if there is something hardwired in our DNA to resonate with the sounds. My favorite part of each Saturday is waking up before everyone else in my house and enjoying my coffee on my back deck (or sunroom is weather isn’t cooperating). This space that I have created in my day for rest and mindful attendance to my surroundings, grounds me for the day ahead. For my last birthday, my sweet husband decided to purchase a membership to the Audubon Society, some birding binoculars, and several Sibley and field guides to help identify the birds that I watch each morning. Now I am hooked, and it turns out I am not alone.
A downy-headed woodpecker. A cute, small woodpecker often found at my suet feeder.
In 2022, Time Magazine published an article entitled, “Birdwatching Has Big Mental-Health Benefits. Here’s How to Start.” In this article, they cite several studies that link bird watching with improved mental health. One study, published in Scientific Reports, found that seeing or hearing birds improved people’s mental well-being for up to eight hours. There have also been linked correlations between people’s mental health and the amount of bird species that are present around them. Birdsong and time in nature are continuously linked to lower blood pressure, lower instances of cortisol (the stress hormone), and improved cognitive performance.
Are you interested in beginning to birdwatch? An amazing app that has helped me identify birds and birdsong is the Merlin Bird ID (through Cornell’s Ornithology Department). The app is completely free and has allowed me to sit on my deck and identify the birds around me by song alone. I also suggest that you find ways to get the birds to come to you. Birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths are great ways to get birds to your property. Some birdhouses even come with field cameras that allow you to stream to your feeders whenever you like. I also have a glass birdfeeder that suctions to my window, allowing me to view birds easily from inside my home. I have also joined Cornell’s Ornithology Department nest tracking group (free and very simple to do). This group allows you to track nesting habits to help share information to track bird populations and nesting behaviors. The birdwatching community is a robust and welcoming group to newcomers. I suggest you conduct a quick Google search to identify groups and birdwatching areas in your neighborhood. Do you enjoy watching or listening to birds? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
