Why not birdwatching?

Did you know that birdwatching is healthy? And the great thing is that it’s easy to get started and can enrich you and others.

Do you also recharge your batteries by “going to the countryside”, taking a bike ride in the woods or a long walk on the beach? Perhaps you walked many more miles in nature during the Corona pandemic than before?

Most people know that physical activity outdoors is good for our health and well-being, and more and more people are becoming aware that nature and green spaces also benefit our mental health.

It’s healthy

The fact that birds and birding (birdwatching) are good for mental health is not just something I make up, it is supported by several scientific studies that show it. For example, an American study documented that during the Corona Pandemic, shortly after the lockdown, there was a significant increase in people’s interest in wild birds. The study suggests that wild birds may help increase people’s connection to nature and improve our well-being. Another study showed that people living in neighborhoods with more vegetation and more birds were less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and stress.

Even bird songs and calls can help stress sufferers recover. And the happiest Europeans, according to one study, are those who experience many different species of birds in their daily lives or live in a more natural environment with many species. The link between bird diversity and life satisfaction was so strong that it should have the same effect on our well-being as a higher income!

So why not go birdwatching?

Birds are fascinating. The mere fact that birds – with few exceptions – can fly is fascinating in itself. Birds come in all kinds of sizes, shapes, and colors, and they have exciting behaviors and lifestyles. Birds are everywhere. Birds live from the Arctic to the Antarctic, in deserts, rainforests, and high in the mountains, out on the great oceans – even in the biggest cities. So it’s just a matter of looking up.

So, in the style of “x ways to improve your life,” here are 9 reasons why you should start watching birds.

1. Slow down and relax

Watching birds – whether at home at the feeder or out in nature – is extremely calming and relaxing. It can be almost meditative. It distracts you from everyday distractions and has a positive effect on your overall mental health, including stress, depression and anxiety.

2. Out in nature

Bird watching is a great way to get outside and experience nature. At the same time, you get sunlight, lots of fresh air, and a chance to get away from it all for a while. Birdwatching is cheap and does not require much – the most important thing is a pair of binoculars.

3. Make new friends

You can birdwatch alone, but you can also make new acquaintances, make new friends, and become part of a community. Visit a good bird site or visit the places where a rare bird is found. Birders love to talk, tell stories, share knowledge and tips – or just have a good time. Read how we made new bird friends in Argentina.

4. Great experiences

There are many exciting experiences you can have while birdwatching. For some, the greatest experience is finding a very rare species. For others it is the annual trip to Hornborgasjön to see the common cranes or the fall migration of birds of prey at Falsterbo. It can also be following the bird life in the local lake. The important thing is that you can have many different experiences when birdwatching, experiences that give you pleasure and something to remember.

5. Find new places

Bird watching gives you the opportunity to visit many different places, both locally and elsewhere in the country – not to mention other countries. There are over 10,000 species of birds in the world.

6. Be challenged

Yes, birding can be relaxing, but finding and identifying birds can also be challenging and requires patience. But it is both fun and satisfying when you succeed.

7. Strengthen your attention

Bird watching trains and strengthens your attention and observation skills. The more focused and present you are, the easier it is to see the birds. In fact, birding can also improve your reactions – you need to be able to quickly “catch” the bird in the binoculars before it flies away.

8. Get in shape

I’m not saying you need to be in bad shape, but birding can provide a lot of physical exercise. If you want to see a particular bird, you will find that you have suddenly walked five kilometers to find a Scarlet Rosefinch or the Black-winged Kite that the others have seen from the top of Aborrebjerg. Maybe you get curious and just have to see what birds are around the next bend – it could be… Without thinking about it, you get a lot of exercises.

9. Contribute to knowledge

Bird watching can be much more than a hobby pursued for your own enjoyment. Your encounters with birds can be turned into knowledge that benefits birds and nature. By registering your bird sightings in databases such as DOFbasen or eBird, you are helping to collect important data that can be used for research and conservation, among other things.

Join us and go birdwatching

So what are you waiting for? Birdwatching is exciting, fun, and a healthy pastime that can enrich you and others. If you are curious and need some inspiration or perhaps some practical “how to” information, why not join us and go birdwatching?

Learn more at Why Not Birds? and book your birding trip today!

All photos and video © Bente Steffensen & Uffe Damm Andersen, unless otherwise stated.

Sources

• Birds of a feather lockdown together: Mutual bird-human benefits during a global pandemic. Ecological Economics (2021).  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107174
• Doses of Neighborhood Nature: The Benefits for Mental Health of Living with Nature. BioScience (2017). https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw173 
• Bird sounds and their contributions to perceived attention restoration and stress recovery. Journal of Environmental Psychology (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.08.004
• The importance of species diversity for human well-being in Europe. Ecological Economics (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106917
• DOFbasen. Dansk Ornitologisk Forening. https://dofbasen.dk
• eBird. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://ebird.org