Forgive the PSA nature of this post, but this morning's glorious birdwalk made me want to reiterate how therapeutic birdwatching can be. Lots of things suck right now. We all know that without me having to enumerate the ways. Earlier this year when I decided swilling cheap beer might be a fun way to help pass the days, the net result was not pretty. The payoff was short-lived, and instead of purging stress, I was accumulating pounds. I got moody too. The clothes of "paunchy grouch" aren't particularly flattering on me, so I decided to do something about it.
Things took an immediate turn for the better once I started taking daily bird walks. Not only was I resuscitating a beloved pastime and shedding weight, I was reconnecting with my own brain, because birding is quiet, calming, and meditative. Today's 3.4-mile hike to the northern edge of Walnut Hills and back was rewarding in many ways. It cleared my mind, got my heart pumping, and allowed me to notch four American kestrels, a pileated woodpecker, and a yellow-billed cuckoo among the 32 species I sighted. Of course if being alone with your own brain isn't your idea of a good time right now, birding is also a great way to safely hang out with a friend or two, and we all need more of that these days.
I know people have perfectly good mental-health strategies of their own, but I'm just going to throw it out there for anyone struggling to navigate the unholy mess that is 2020—give birding a try. Birds are colorful. Birds are musical. Birds offer endless gratification to anyone willing to get outdoors with a pair of binoculars. Speaking of which, there are some good cheap binoculars out there, in some cases less than $50. Birding apps like Merlin and Audubon put a field guide in your pocket free of charge.
Oh, and birding is also a wonderful hobby for those of us who love lists:
Bird log, 09/13/2020
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