Why should folks, young and old, take up birdwatching? Well, if you have accompanied me on even one of my Baja Birding Club outings over the last eight years, you have likely already been convinced. On the other hand, reading my words and spreading them around among family and friends will not only enrich their health, prosperity and well-being but also help the birds themselves and in fact, our entire planet. And all for a very low initial financial investment!
Let’s delve into this more deeply. A team of German scientists conducted a study based on socio-economic data from more than 26,000 adults from 26 European countries and concluded that avian diversity is as important for their life satisfaction as their income, and that one’s surroundings, i.e. plenty of somewhat natural and diverse landscapes that hold numerous green spaces and bodies of water that promote bird life, was equally valued, which in turn leads to higher property values.
Being a birdwatcher might even help you to live longer by making those walks in the great outdoors healthier. A study led by a scientist from Carleton University found that hearing birdsong while hiking outdoors improves people’s overall well-being more than if they hiked without hearing birds chirping. But seeking out and identifying birds while hiking is even better! As recently as 2024, a study from North Carolina State University discovered that birdwatching leads to higher subjective well-being and a greater reduction in distress than compared to generic nature experiences like walking. This was especially true for college students who are often at risk for mental health issues. Even cancer patients have learned that birdwatching is therapeutic. One patient said that just being outside and enjoying the bird life helped distract him thoroughly from his medical challenge. Another cancer patient losing her hair decided to donate the fallen locks to the birds for nest-building. It made her feel good. Birdwatching can also be highly beneficial to those with dementia. It helps them to get outside, enjoy the beauty and tranquility of nature, become more mindful of themselves and their environment, loosen arthritic joints and improve their cardiovascular function, provides a sense of achievement, and allows interaction with other like-minded folks. Like crossword puzzles, the mental process of identifying birds and keeping list might even stave off dementia. Why, even blind people can appreciate birds! Many of the world’s best birders probably hear and list more birds by their calls and songs than by seeing them. Juan Pablo Culasso, a Uruguayan who was born blind, can identify more than 2,000 different kinds of birds and he leads a team in Colombia to build birding trails for visually impaired birders.
Speaking of other countries, birdwatching has taken me all over the world from the savannah of Kenya to the cloud forest of Costa Rica and to here in Baja Mexico. I now have bird-loving friends in more than fifty countries!
As for the bigger picture, despite the fact there are an estimated 50 million birdwatchers in North America alone, the world can never have enough birdwatchers. Our birds are in serious trouble. More than 12 percent of the world’s 11,000 bird species are in critical danger of extinction! To help keep them as part of our landscapes here and abroad, we need careful monitoring of their status so that successful conservation and management actions can be implemented. Becoming a birder, no matter how skilled, allows one to join the burgeoning ranks of citizen scientists helping professional ornithologists keep track of bird populations and their status and health all over the globe. More importantly, birds simply need more voices among political circles to ensure their preservation.
In conclusion, become a birdwatcher to save yourself, save the birds, and save the planet!
Submitted by David M. Bird, Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Biology, McGill University, Montreal
