Birdwatching is something I never thought I would be doing as a high school junior. But here I am at Stu Visser trail on a perfect Sunday afternoon, not a cloud in the sky, looking for birds surrounded by people more than double my age.
As soon as I started walking down the trail, I heard birds chirping from every direction and a slight rustle of the wind through the leaves. As I ventured farther down the trail, I slowly began to forget about the stress that this week full of exams brought. I’m not alone, 75% of teens reported feeling stress in school. Stress isn’t limited to teens either. Stress affects everyone. Birdwatching is really good for relieving stress as it’s quiet and beautiful. According to a study by Cornell University, spending as little as 10 minutes outside can greatly reduce mental and physical stress. It’s not hard at all to spend those 10 minutes outside either. I found myself drawn in almost immediately. At one point, I was crouched on the ground, looking underneath a bridge, where I saw a bright yellow bird fly.
Not only was the walk peaceful but it was also exciting trying to find cool-looking birds or even regular-looking birds.
When I was younger, I used to be really into Pokémon Go. I would go for a walk every morning, rain or shine, and even when it was single digits. I would constantly be on my phone trying to get a certain Pokémon or shiny. As I’ve grown up, I don’t play as much. After my birding adventure, I can see some similarities between the two. When I saw the green heron at Stu Visser Trail, I felt the same rush of adrenaline I used to when I caught a shiny.
After birding, I was sitting in my car and I felt a new sense of appreciation for Holland and all the nature we have around us.
We may be lucky to have such beauty surrounding us here in Holland, but bird-watching is a very accessible hobby. Birds are everywhere. I’ve seen photos of beautiful multi-colored birds on top of some of the most bland buildings. Similar to Pokémon Go, bird-watching unites people of all kinds. Birdwatching is a place where ages young and old can coexist. They can learn from each other. When I was bird watching, an older couple alerted me to the green heron, which was my favorite bird I had seen all day.
In today’s age, teens are spending less and less time connecting with their loved ones and nature. Birding for just a little bit has already started to reconnect me with my family and nature more.
My grandma does nothing to defeat the stereotype that birding is an old person’s hobby. In accordance with the older person stereotype, my grandma loves birdwatching. At her house, she has a camera on her bird feeder so she can always watch birds from wherever she is. So when I told her about my bird watching, she was excited and started giving me advice and stories from her experiences. It was honestly very nice to understand something that someone you love cares about. She gave me some useful advice in our talk too. She told me to download Merlin. Before my grandma told me about Merlin I was worried about how I was supposed to identify any of the birds I saw. All Merlin needs is a recording of a bird call and it can identify the bird. It makes birding even more accessible and beneficial for teens.
After my birding last weekend, I was a lot more eager to go bird-watching again than I thought I would be. In a way, the fresh air and peace that it brings make it addictive. Birdwatching is often overlooked by teens and chalked up as an old-person activity. It’s honestly a perfect solution for those teens struggling with a phone addiction. It can help lower stress levels while being surprisingly fun.
