Appreciating Our Feathered Friends

Here’s a bit of good news for birders, or would-be birders. From Cornell University’s Bird Lab recently, there came this headline: “Birding Influences Brain Health and Mental Health”. In this article, Emily Nichols writes from Arizona that her recent experiences with watching owls helped her recover from a traumatic brain injury. “New studies are showing how birding can affect brain structure and foster a sense of well-being”.  

The article continues: “It turns out that birds and birding are emerging as a powerful, nature-based prescription for people’s mental well-being, capable of restoring a sense of purpose and inspiring a sense of connection. A new study suggests that building skills in birding may also yield structural benefits in a person’s brain.”

“Birding strengthens cognitive function by transforming momentary personal experiences into lasting knowledge,” explains Dr. Erik Wing, an aptly-named neuroscientist in Toronto. According to Dr. Wing, “birding engages a variety of brain processes related to memory, attention, and flexible thinking—core components of cognition that are often associated with resilience in aging.” Scientists are also finding that, beyond possibly strengthening cognitive function, birding helps people experience joy, find meaning, and make connections.

Observing and learning about birds is an easy activity to develop, unlike, say, mountain climbing. You can learn more about it from friends who are birders or join a birding group through your local Audubon Society either in Rhode Island or Massachusetts, or both.

If you are especially interested in raptors, The Audubon Society of Rhode Island in Bristol has been offering a popular raptor program every September. And for the raptor record, I prefer owls myself, rather than hawks, and I find eagles impressive but scary.

We are frequent visitors to the boardwalk trail at the Audubon Center in Bristol that goes down to a viewing platform by the bay. This past summer we had wondered about the scarcity of ospreys; usually there are two nests with parents and chicks. One of the two huge nests by the trail had been destroyed (presumably by a storm) and the other nest had no chicks in it this summer.

It turns out that this has been an unfortunate pattern along the Atlantic coast this season and the Audubon Society is seeking donations to fund research into the reasons for the species decline. This species, sometimes called a fish hawk, made a good recovery some years back after DDT was banned. It is worrisome to think these birds may be in trouble again.

Dramatic as raptors are, smaller birds are of interest too. I enjoy sitting on the porch in the summer and watching all the catbirds in the maple tree before they head south. And this year at least one hummingbird remained until the middle of September. I always miss them when they go and wish them luck on their long and grueling journey to Mexico and Central America.

I love watching the sandpipers and piping plovers at Horseneck Beach in the summer, racing along the shoreline on their tiny legs, as if running for the last bus of the day. So cute, and an important part of avian life at the shore. This is why dogs are not allowed on the beach during the birds’ breeding season.

As for feeding birds in the winter, you get mixed advice. If bears were hanging around our area (surely, it’s just a matter of time), I’d give up the bird feeder but for now I’ll be putting up the “squirrel-buster” feeder again this winter. I wish a certain woodpecker would stop drilling on the side of the house however.

Speaking of squirrels, last fall we saw an enterprising squirrel digging into a pumpkin under the maple tree. All you could see was a bushy tail waving out from the hole in the pumpkin, which was good for a chuckle.

Other nearby places for bird-watching are the Norman Bird Sanctuary (there is a small entrance fee) in Middletown or Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge down the road from there. Note that on nice weekend days the parking lot at Sachuest fills up pretty quickly. The ocean views from these Middletown sites are an added bonus. Of course, we’re talking about bird-watching here. Aside from a pair of binoculars and maybe a bird book, no special equipment or day trip is required.  Your own backyard would be a good place to start.