I’ve been fascinated by birds for as long as I can remember. As a child in New Jersey, birdsong woke me almost every day in spring and summer. In California, hummingbirds regularly visited my back yard. In Texas, I had regular visits from bluejays and cardinals and a family of doves who liked to nest in the birdfeeder. Now that I live on Florida’s Nature Coast, my birdwatching has expanded. A flock of ibis regularly struts through my neighborhood like a gang of street thugs, a family of cardinals is nesting in my crepe myrtle, eagles (including bald eagles!) are everywhere, and the shore birds are a marvel to watch – egrets, herons, sand pipers, seagulls, and sandhill cranes are at every beach, and most of our neighborhood ponds.
Birdwatching can be nothing more than a relaxing activity, but, if you pay attention, there’s much we can learn from our feathered friends.
Here are five things I’ve learned from birdwatching:
- Everyone Gets Support
We’ve all seen flocks of birds – geese, gulls, grackles – flying in the classic V formation, but it’s more than just a pretty pattern. When the lead bird flaps its wings, that creates uplift for the birds behind it, helping them to fly longer and farther. When the leader tires out, or the direction shifts drastically, another bird takes the front position, and the original leader moves back with no bruises to anyone’s ego. As humans, we must learn to accept help when we need it as well as offering it to those in need. - Sharing is Caring
Birds share their resources. Look outside and you’ll often see different bird families, even different bird species, sharing the same trees, eating from the same feeders, washing in the same bath. Do squabbles break out sometimes? Yes. But overall, sharing is the rule in the bird world. As humans, we must learn to share our ideas, our abilities, our knowledge, and sometimes our material goods. - Don’t Dwell in the Past
Birds live in the present. They don’t collect more than they need for the current season, and don’t save things for the future. They support each other when necessary, and face danger together, but the rest of the time, they sing and frolic and don’t stress about having a work-life balance. As hunamns, we need to focus on being present four ourselves and others, rather than worrying about the past. - Have Confidence
A bird sitting in a tree doesn’t fear that the branch will break, because she trusts her own wings, not the tree. Similarly, when a bird sings he’s not worried about hitting the right notes. He sings because he has a song. As humans, we are all stronger than we know, and wee must trust in our abilities and knowledge. - Don’t Neglect Self-Care
Even when birds have to struggle to feed their growing chicks, their nests are tidy, and they keep themselves clean by preening and using water sources to bathe as well as drink. As humans, we tend to neglect ourselves when our lives are stressful, and we must endeavor to continue with self-care.
Clearly, birds have a lot to teach us. What about you? What have you learned from watching birds?
I loved these reflections on bird behavior and what we can learn from our feathered friends. I live in an area where I take many walks by the lake and the ponds and I enjoy the many different birds that either live here or fly through here on their way somewhere else. Thank you for giving me something to think about on my walk by the lake this morning!