People always ask me why I like birdwatching. And depending on my mood of the day, my answer varies.
A friend came over the other day, and the first thing he said to me was that he liked the intoBirds’ website.
That made me happy. We put considerable effort into making intoBirds a site where people can go who enjoy reading stories about remarkable people inspired by birds.
When he told me that intoBirds.com is the startup page on his computer that made my day.
But more importantly, it took him talking to me about the birds to notice how many people are into birdwatching.
I’m glad I helped enlighten him and bring awareness to just how many people are into birds.
There are more than 45 million people watch birds around their homes and away from home
How Many Bird Watchers?
Just how many bird watchers are there?
More than 45 million people.
That’s right, more than 45 million people watch birds around their homes and away from home, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s preliminary findings of the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
And if you’re reading this, you’re probably into birds so let me congratulate you for being a bird watcher and helping to contribute nearly $80 billion to the U.S. economy.
That’s right. We love birds so much it adds up to $80 billion to the economy.
So, it got me thinking about why I enjoy birdwatching so much and why I’m into birds.
Well, there are many adjectives to describe birds.
Birds are beautiful, mysterious, fierce, quirky, inspirational, fascinating, colorful, intelligent, playful and frightening all wrapped up in one.
I often refer to birds as artwork with wings.
Thoreau the Bird Watcher
Henry David Thoreau famously set the tone for all future bird watchers when he said that he could spend from dawn till noon sitting in his doorway surrounded by trees and birds.
Well said.
If this were Instagram, I’d give Thoreau’s photo a quick tap and show my appreciation with a heart and a thumb’s up emoji.
Thoreau also said, “The Bluebird carries the sky on his back.”
I’d probably modify that quote today and say, “The Bluebird carries the sky on its back,” to be pronoun friendly.
But we get the point.
Being outside and immersed in nature, we just don’t look at things. We see things.
So what is it about bird watching?
Reasons to Love Birdwatching
Here are eight reasons why I love birdwatching.
I love the mystery of the unknown.
Every day you wake up and don’t know what kind of bird you might see that day.
It’s the mystery of what each day will bring. You can’t plan for it, and if a rarity happens to cross your path, you’re thankful for having your binoculars and camera in the car to enjoy the moment.
I love that birdwatching connects me with nature.
It gets me outside and helps me appreciate all the things I’ve taken for granted in the past. The blue sky, sun, trees, plants, animals and reveal in each of the four seasons and how everything links together to form the circle of life.
Although I don’t enjoy getting bitten by bugs, especially ticks, you realize that those annoying critters serve as a significant food source for many birds.
I love that birdwatching appeals to my sense of adventure and exploration.
I’m one of those crazy people who finds excitement in danger and uses the ‘try it out’ way of learning.
The unknown? I say bring it. It can’t be that much worse than the known, and it just might happen to better.
So, trekking rugged terrains for miles for the chance to see a bird might be crazy to some, but again I thrive on the unknown.
Birdwatching gives you a great reason to explore the world.
I love that birdwatching satiates my competitive drive.
Even though you can enjoy birds alone or with others, it’s exciting to be the first to find a specific bird and tell others so they can enjoy seeing that bird too.
I love that birdwatching is the catalyst for meeting new, exciting people.
\Whether I meet people while leading bird walks, in the hunt to see a new bird, or when interviewing people to profile on intoBirds, I enjoy learning something new from each person and hopefully leave them with a little pearl of wisdom too.
I love that birdwatching is everywhere.
I joked with my friend Romana that we should go bird watching in the garbage dump, the cemetery or the dumpsters behind stores and seeing that glimmer in her eyes and agreeing with me, “Yes, let’s go bird watching in the dump!” appeals to my crazy sense of adventure.
You can bird watch everywhere. The birds are all around us. And they’re free. But you’ll probably end up buying some seed or peanuts to keep your feathered friends happy.
I love that birdwatching lets you use your camera or iPhone for taking photographs that are meaningful.
These captures then make their way to your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram timeline and make your photos less about taking selfies and more about what you see and experience.
You set the narrative of the story you are telling, and you don’t have to be the star, just the narrator.
I love that birdwatching helps you live in the moment.
When I’m out birdwatching, I turn my phone off and get caught up in the moment and feel like I’m watching a movie play out with me in a starring role. (Think Cecilia in the Purple Rose of Cairo).
I forget about everything else.
And then nature becomes more apparent to you, and you can hear a tree fall over in the woods.
You might feel despair at times, but then all of a sudden like magic the most magnificent winged creature appears lifting your spirits and helping you reflect on living in the moment. You’re enjoying life.
So those are my eight reasons why I love birdwatching.
Now tell me your reasons why you love to bird watch.
Use our CONNECT form and shoot me a quick message, comment below or give us a shout out on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and tell me why you love birdwatching, and I’ll share them in a follow-up story about why YOU love to bird watch.
Now get out and see birds and #coexist!
Renee