Birdwatching is more than just a peaceful outdoor activity—it’s a hobby that offers a surprising number of physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned bird enthusiast, spending time observing nature can bring a sense of calm, improve focus, and even enhance your overall well-being. Let’s explore the benefits of birdwatching and why it’s the perfect pastime for anyone looking to connect with nature.
1. Birdwatching improves mood and mental health
Academic studies have shown birdwatching is good for our mental health by reducing stress and anxiety. A 2022 study by researchers from King’s College London and published in the Scientific Reports journal found that everyday encounters of just seeing or hearing birds improved a person’s mental wellbeing.
Another study, published in 2017 in BioScience, found that people living in urban, built-up areas with an abundance of birds were less stressed and anxious than those living in urban areas where birdlife was poor.
A different study from 2013 and published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that birdsong was the type of natural sound people most often associated with stress recovery and attention restoration. So, birds are good for the brain!
2. It keeps you physically active
As birdwatching is mainly an outdoor activity it often involves walking or hiking around different terrains. Indeed, many of the more interesting or hard-to-find species may be lurking in more remote areas away from human activity. That means more effort is required to reach them and it’s well-known that walking regularly and remaining active is good for your overall health.
3. Increase Vitamin D Levels
Getting outdoor to bird watch will naturally raise your vitamin D levels. Increased levels of sun exposure help your body produce more vitamin D. It’s an essential vitamin for boosting your brain and immune system and strengthening your bones.
4. Improves Sleep
Studies have shown that spending more time outdoors in nature can improve your sleep hygiene. Bird watching is a fun and easy way to increase your exposure to being more active and getting outdoors.
5. Reduces Loneliness
Birdwatching has long been linked to a reduction in feelings of loneliness. It’s thought that a human/animal bond with backyard birds can be a form of companionship. This type of interaction helps to provide a buffer against developing poor mental health.
6. Improves Confidence
Learning new skills from a hobby like birdwatching is a great way to improve confidence. Whenever you successfully identify a new bird or learn how to attract another species, you will feel good about your newfound skills and ability to achieve things.
7. Become more respectful
Birdwatching helps you to develop a greater sense of respect for others. You’ll learn to respect nature, wildlife, and the environment. That includes respecting other people and their properties when you are birdwatching.
8. Improve s concentration and stimulates senses
Birdwatching can boost your concentration in many different ways. Simply being in nature forces you to slow down and stop all the multitasking you need to do in everyday life. Focusing on identifying a bird will prevent you from being easily distracted and missing a sighting opportunity. During birdwatching activities your vision and hearing will be working in overdrive, keenly searching for any movement in the treetops or quietly listening for nearby chirping. Ensuring our senses remains stimulated is very important.
9. Gives a sense of achievement
Whenever you learn something new, you get a real sense of
achievement. Birdwatching has many learning opportunities, from
identifying new birds to attraction skills or even mastering new
equipment.
10. Birdwatching challenges you
Birdwatching can feel like a game for some twitchers who attempt to catalogue every bird they see. This can be an addictive activity, and will sometimes motivate a birdwatcher to stay outside a little longer just in case a new bird flies past. If you want to get started, create a list of local birds you might see in your area, get out there, and tick them off one-by-one when you catch a glimpse.
For more information, read this article on TIME Magazine:
Birdwatching Has Big Mental Health Benefits. How to Start | TIME
Learn more about top 10 local birds in Aswan:
After 2 times of bird watching trips and after long time want to do it and I finally did; I can assure that all the points mentioned in this article is 100% true I felt every point personally!
Thanks a lot for your interest!
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