Finding healing and joy through birding

*Editor’s Note: This article follows the American Ornithological Society's recommendation that all bird names are capitalized to prevent confusion between taxonomic and descriptive words.

When my college roommate pointed out a bird on a tree as we walked to class on an autumn day in 1990, I didn't anticipate that moment would mark the beginning of something transformational. While I can't pinpoint whether my spark bird was a Red-bellied Woodpecker or a Yellow-shafted Flicker, I can unequivocally say that it was a woodpecker, and it ignited a lifelong love of birds.

That year also marked my initial diagnosis with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, later evolving into Complex PTSD due to the trauma of sexual abuse. Little did I know that birding would organically become a major healing tool, providing solace and a meditative escape from some of the long-lasting effects of sexual violence.

Birding is not just a hobby but a profound source of mental health and wellness. The activities associated with birding — listening to, watching and learning about these amazing, feathered creatures, getting out in nature, as well as sharing the joy and fascination with birds with others — are increasingly recognized by the conservation and scientific communities as having strong mental health benefits. A study published in October in Scientific Reports found that simply seeing or hearing birds improved people’s mental health and wellbeing for up to eight hours.

The mental health benefits of birding

The benefits of being in nature — among the trees and ocean, marshes and fields — have long been well-known to birders. Now, backed by scientific findings and popularized in the mainstream news, people from all walks of life are learning that being in and with nature reduces stress, calms one’s mind and replenishes our energy.

Academic research featured in the journal BioScience shows that nature walks where people encounter a high number of birds are more “positively associated with a lower prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress” than those being in nature without birds. I can personally attest to that truth — getting outside and watching quietly as a woodpecker hopped up and down a tree trunk searching for insects was my introduction to the brain-calming effects of birding, allowing me to be fully present in the moment. Only later did I learn the science behind how such “mindful birding” was actively shifting my awareness to being fully present in that moment and in my environment by focusing on the bird’s activity and behavior in the woods.

Birdsong in particular has been shown to have a unique impact on mental well-being. A study published in Nature in October found that just being near birdsong improved mental well-being. Listening to birdsong for even six minutes was found to reduce anxiety and promote emotional regulation.

The importance of accessible natural spaces

Birding has provided a sense of purpose and joy for many, myself included. During my 30-year tenure in the anti-sexual violence movement, birding served as a grounding force. The moments of connection with birds and nature allowed me to maintain emotional balance and resilience, enabling me to show up for others experiencing trauma. Birding became more than a personal passion; it became a tool for self-care and a source of strength to support my own healing and the work to support the healing of others.

That avenue to mental health was made more difficult when a fall down the stairs and a misdiagnosed deep vein thrombosis-turned pulmonary embolism brought about new physical mobility challenges. Suddenly one of the major ways that I had sustained my mental health was no longer possible due to my physical health. This posed a logistical challenge due to my new mobility access needs and an emotional challenge as the coping mechanism of birding on trails and natural spaces became less available to me. Finding accessible birding sites — other than my very reliable and bird-filled backyard — became a struggle.

For birding to be truly accessible, natural spaces must be accessible to all. The inclusion of people with disabilities into everyday activities like birding involves practices and policies designed to identify and remove physical, communication and attitudinal barriers that hamper individuals’ ability to fully participate in society, the same as people without disabilities. This involves:

• Practicing nondiscrimination and providing fair treatment to all.

• Implementing universal design to make programming, communications and the physical environment more usable by as many people as possible.

• Providing reasonable accommodations like modifying items, procedures or systems to enable a person with a disability to use them to the maximum extent possible.

• Eliminating stereotypes and the belief that people with disabilities, whether mental, cognitive, sensory or physical, are unhealthy or less capable of doing things.

It’s important to note that all disabilities deserve recognition, including the many "hidden" or "invisible" disabilities that often go unnoticed. These include diagnoses such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and PTSD, as well as cognitive impairments including learning disabilities.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness — that’s 51.5 million people experiencing a wide range of diagnoses classified as mild, moderate or severe. Factoring in the novel coronavirus pandemic and other external and environmental stressors, experts believe mental illness is more prevalent than ever. According to a survey administered by the American Psychological Association, mental health professionals have reported an influx of patients with anxiety and depression since the pandemic’s onset in 2020.

In this context, having accessible natural spaces for birding becomes even more critical. Mental health conditions, particularly those that are invisible such as anxiety, depression and PTSD, can be exacerbated by isolation and lack of access to nature. Accessible natural spaces provide a much-needed refuge where individuals can engage in activities that promote mental wellness, such as birding.

Birding and conservation

As more people recognize the health benefits of birding, birds benefit, too. As people increasingly experience and appreciate nature, they increasingly want to keep nature healthy. And as interest in preserving healthy, natural environments grows, birds and other wildlife benefit because people become more motivated to see that their ecosystems and habitats are maintained and conserved. Simply being in nature can act as a key entry point for people’s interest in conservation.

My own birding journey took a transformative turn in 2022 when I discovered Birdability and the Birdability Map — an incredible repository of information by and for disabled birders. This treasure trove of knowledge has helped me discover accessible birding spots and connect with a community that shares similar experiences. The organization's mission to make birding accessible to everyone resonates deeply with my own experiences. The insights gathered from fellow disabled birders through Birdability became a guiding light, eventually leading me to apply to be the organization’s executive director. This opportunity has been nothing short of amazing — a chance to meet other disabled birders, forge new connections and continue charting a path forward in making birding accessible to all.

In the quiet moments of birding, I have found healing, joy and connection. As a steward of Birdability, I am committed to fostering an environment where these moments are accessible to everyone. Birdability’s work is helping stewards of public lands to make that possible. Land trusts can use our resources to describe the accessibility features of their natural spaces more accurately and to write inclusive language for their website, describe events or create signage for their properties or projects. We also offer access consideration information with guidelines to help land trusts assess their infrastructure and consider new investments that would make spaces inclusive of folks with many different disabilities and health concerns, whether through building wheelchair-accessible trails, adding tactile signage, or installing benches, as concrete examples. Adding your properties to our Birdability Map is an easy way to help those with disabilities determine if your site is accessible.

My gratitude for the transformative power of birding fuels my determination to make birding a source of solace for all, no matter the obstacles. Let's continue to champion access to natural spaces and accessible birding, ensuring that everyone can find peace, joy and healing in the natural world.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Land Trust Alliance, its staff, its board of directors or any other individuals associated with the organization.