If you’re feeling a little extra stress and anxiety these days, spending some time watching birds might help.
Physician Joe Francis is president of the Delaware Ornithological Society. Francis and cancer survivor and birder Holly Merker are presenting a talk on the health benefits of birding.
“We know from studies that have been done with volunteers that exposure to nature and time spending birding or looking at other aspects of nature reduce biomarkers of stress," Francis said.
He adds birding can also fight loneliness, which the US Surgeon General declared to be an epidemic last year.
“Loneliness has a huge impact, and birding gets you outdoors with other people and interacting with them," Francis says.
He notes you don’t need to go in search of rare birds to reap the benefits of birding.
"It doesn't have to be an exotic species," Francis said. "Watching crows or blue jays - and in the city, watching pigeons - not only can tell you something about how nature works, it gets you outside of yourself.“
Francis and Merker present their talk this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin.
Editors Note 11/20/24: Due to concerns about inclement weather, this event has been changed to a virtual event. Information about the revised format can be found here.
