You know what a Common Grackle is. You’ve seen them strutting around every parking lot, perched atop fences, in flight over highways. You’ve heard their shrieking call in the ambience of a summer day. But do you know what a Common Grackle is? What about a House Sparrow? If you see a small, roundish bird with a buff chest (“buff” as in the light brown-yellow color; the bird does not have exceptionally muscular pecs) and brown details on the head and wings, you might be able to point to that and identify it as a sparrow. But is it a House Sparrow, or a Song Sparrow? What if it’s a finch—that sounds like a bird that could look like this. Or, maybe you don’t give it any thought at all. Maybe you don’t see the point in identifying birds; it’s not like you get anything out of being able to point to a dot in the sky and claim that it’s some kind of hawk. Or do you?
Many people, teenagers especially, seem to look down on bird watching as a lame hobby that only lonely old people partake in—maybe not worded that harshly, but the point stands: in popular culture, bird watching isn’t seen as a ‘cool’ endeavor. However, there are hidden aspects of this hobby, such as staggering mental and physical health benefits, that make it entirely worthwhile. Bird-watching is not for the birds; it’s for everyone, and more students should consider partaking.
One of the main things that draws people to bird-watching is an innate curiosity for these avian creatures; the mystique of birds, with their unique feathers and the miraculous ability to take flight, inspires humans to want to stand and stare with wonder. Getting involved in bird-watching can help satiate this curiosity, while also expanding the appreciation for the wonders of the natural world. Birders (the term for serious bird-watchers) delve deep into the things that make each bird unique to be able to identify them; for example, it’s pretty simple to tell apart a Turkey Vulture from a Black Vulture even if you can’t see the defining color of the bird’s head. Turkey Vultures soar with their wings held in a v-shape, and they also appear to teeter or wobble in flight, while Black Vultures hold their wings straight out in a horizontal line in flight and are more steady. By looking a little closer and paying attention to the special habits and characteristics of a bird, you can get to know them more personally, appreciating what features make them unique and allow them to thrive. There are so many incredible species of bird out there to learn about: Ospreys, with the ability to dive into water to catch fish with a reversible outer toe; Harris’ Hawks, which hunt in groups and are known as the “wolves of the sky;” Killdeers, which feign injury to protect their chicks from predators. Every bird has something that separates it from all the others, and the privilege to learn their secrets is something that birders get to enjoy.
Bird-watching is not only a rewarding hobby for the knowledge it provides, but it has also been linked to mental health benefits. According to Psychology Today, an experimental study found that students who participated in bird-watching experienced significantly improved moods and less distress. Additionally, the activity of watching birds can help students improve their attention spans, which have been harmed by the proliferation of short-form content on TikTok, Instagram and Youtube. By slowing down in the hustle and bustle of everyday life to pay attention to the sights and sounds of the birds, focusing the brain and experiencing the healthy sensation of fascination, students are able to disengage from their stresses and the desire to doom scroll on social media. This activity also provides a sense of scope and humility, which can make students’ problems feel less overwhelming; realizing how intricate and beautiful nature is can make human problems feel smaller, providing feelings of tranquility and belonging amidst life’s inextricably linked web of creatures.
Some students might feel hesitant to take up bird-watching because it can feel daunting to jump into an activity focused on identifying the seemingly endless number of birds, some of which seem impossible to tell from others (the Cooper’s Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk, for example, look frustratingly similar; even experienced birders sweat when it comes to making an identification). However, that’s not the point of this hobby. A lot of the joy of bird-watching comes from the unknown, the fact that there’s always more to learn and to be curious about. All that someone needs to do to be considered a bird-watcher is to, well, watch birds. Nevertheless, for those who want to start down the road to becoming a master birder, Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a plethora of helpful resources, including the app Merlin Bird ID, a machine learning technology that can provide identification based on recorded bird song or a photo. Cornell Lab also has interactive and comprehensive online courses that people can purchase to learn about hawks, owls, backyard birds, waterfowl, hummingbirds and many other birding basics.
There is no one correct way to bird-watch; for some, benefits can be reaped by simply taking a stroll in nature and noticing the avians flit about in the canopy. For others, satisfaction comes from the ability to rattle off identifications when hearing the symphony of calls in their backyard, or from being able to point to the speck soaring in the sky and tell a friend that its a Red-tailed Hawk (which, in Texas, it’s almost always a Red-tailed Hawk). Students shouldn’t miss out on experiencing this feathered felicity because of concerns about the societal perception of this hobby. Bird-watching is an entirely worthwhile endeavor, and those who disagree are the real cuckoos.
