Birdwatching is a good healthy hobby. People living in neighbourhoods with trees, shrubs, and birds suffer less from anxiety and depression. Spending one hour each day walking in a nearby park or conservation area will lower your stress level. This will calm your mind and offer you an escape from your daily life. Spending more time indoors increases stress. Nature invites you to enter into a quieter world to enjoy the natural beauty around you.

There are many health benefits associated with birdwatching. It will relax you resulting in lower blood pressure and heart rate. It also improves cardiovascular health. Walking through green spaces and woodlots is great exercise. Your patience will also improve. Birdwatching doesn’t always offer instant gratification. Your senses will also benefit by taking time to stop, listen and watch for activity in the bushes and shrubs around you. This will teach you to be more alert to your surroundings by keeping your eyes and ears open. There should be no distractions while bird watching. Put phones on silent mode and do not listen to music. Enjoy the sounds of nature. Birdwatching is not an actual form of meditation, but it’s pretty close. Be silent, watch and listen.

For those of us working from home, situate your desk next to a window facing the backyard or a favourite part of your garden. Set up a birdfeeder, or sprinkle some seed where you can easily view the birding activity. Avoid background noise such as the news. Try listening to the bird songs instead. This will make you smile.

Birdwatching is drawing a variety of age groups. This is a great activity for all ages, young and old. It’s also a learning tool for families with young children. It helps the young to develop a concern for the environment and caring for animals. You may also meet other people with the same interest. Think of this as making new friends the old fashioned way.

Urban Nature Store is a proud founding supporter of the Birder Brain Project. This initiative aims to share tips on how to use birding to improve your own mental and physical health and facilitate birders sharing their stories and experiences with fellow birders.

Urban Nature Store