Birdwatching is for Everyone

“Birdwatching:” Maybe the word conjures an image of your grandma and the binoculars she always carried during your walks in the woods. Or maybe you’re reminded of the birdfeeder dangling from a pine tree behind your childhood home. Regardless of your experience with birds, you have probably heard of birdwatching. If you’re like me, it didn’t really spark your interest at first. However, I hope you will learn, as I have, that birdwatching is a thrilling and complex hobby that has a multitude of benefits.

Birdwatching is good for mental and physical health.

A study from Kings College in London found that seeing or hearing birds improves mood for up to eight hours. It's not just seeing birds that can benefit your health, the act of identifying and logging birds can improve memory and analytical ability.

Being outside and walking around is an important part of birdwatching and these actions also have mental and physical benefits in the form of fresh air, exercise and even socialization with others.

But birdwatching is so much more.

While the many health benefits of birdwatching are important, there is another aspect of this hobby that keeps me coming back. For example, last semester I was birdwatching in Audubon Park in New Orleans near the campus of Tulane University where I attend. I was walking while looking all around me, constantly scanning the ground, the trees and the sky, knowing the next bird could be anywhere. Suddenly, I noticed a giant bird soaring across the sky. From the silhouette of its wings, I recognized it as an American Bald Eagle. As the eagle glided through the sky, five crows suddenly flew out from nearby trees directly at it. I watched in awe, as the eagle swooped and dodged the crows, which then started chasing it. The drama ended as quickly as it unfolded when the eagle suddenly flew away, leaving the crows in its dust.

What made this experience special to me wasn’t the rare glimpse into the natural world–even though that was definitely memorable. Rather, it was the fact that when I finally brought my attention back to the ground, I looked around at the other people walking in the park and realized that no one else had witnessed what had transpired directly above our heads. This is the aspect of birdwatching that stands out to me the most. It’s not that I saw something no one else did–because if everyone in that park saw what I did it would still be special–it’s that observing birds has taught me to see more than I would otherwise have seen. This doesn’t stop at birds. Birdwatching has taught me to be more analytical and to notice more in nature and in the people around me than I ever did before. The benefits of this new skill have been indescribable.

Birdwatching in Markham

This summer I visited Markham, Illinois as an intern with Nordson Green Earth. Part of my role was to organize a community science project related to birdwatching at the new Markham Public Library Prairie Walking Path. The purpose of the project was to introduce Markham residents to the new path, get more people excited about birdwatching, and kick off a resident-led data-gathering project that will (hopefully) show how bird diversity increases after planting a native greenspace. During my visit to the library path, I saw a pair of Red-tailed Hawks swooping back and forth dancing through the air. I saw flocks of sparrows which, despite being a relatively common species, moved through the air together in beautiful unison. I even saw Red-winged black birds, whose vibrant shoulders pop with color as they hop through the grass.

Birdwatching is for Everyone

To me Birdwatching doesn’t mean fancy binoculars or traveling across the globe to see exotic birds, it is the act of going outside for however long you can and focusing on watching the ground, the trees, and the sky in order to catch a glimpse of the special, winged creatures who share our planet and help us in so many ways. In return, you will get a much better understanding of the world around you.

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Malcolm Mitchell-Chablani is a current sophomore at Tulane University. Prior to his role as a summer intern with Nordson Green Earth Foundation, Malcolm spent 6 years working on environmental initiatives. He began his environmental advocacy as a member of the Oak Park and River Forest High School Environmental Club, and and continued it in college by joining Epsilon Eta, a pre-professional Environmental fraternity. Malcolm enjoys spending time outdoors and, through his own experiences, understands the importance of having easy access to nature.