We’ve all seen the headlines telling us that getting outside and spending time with nature is good for our mental and physical health, but our Project Manager Hayley has had a chance to dig a little deeper behind the headlines and issue a few cautionary words…..
1. Risk of bumps and bruises – I’ve lost count of the number of times I have bumped into lampposts or tripped on the kerb because I am looking skyward trying to locate the source of an unfamiliar bird song.
2. Risk of upsetting your friends / colleagues – I find it extremely difficult to focus on a conversation when out of the corner of my eye I spot avian activity, and have to pretend I have been following what the other person was saying.
3. Risk of appearing slightly mad – I regularly have conversations with birds when I’m out and about and often forget I may seem crazy to anybody walking past.
4. Risk of addiction – When you can’t book a holiday without first locating the nearest birding hotspot or which species you are likely to find, or find it impossible to leave the house without your binoculars – you know you are hooked.
5. Risk of obsession – Once you can identify the more common bird species by sight you move to the rarer ones, then you learn their calls, then you notice trees so learn all about their identifying features, then in spring it’s the turn of wildflowers and in summer it’s butterflies, bees and other insects, and before you know it you have a natural history library to rival Sir David Attenborough.
In the two years that I have been with Bird Wise I have fallen in muddy ditches, tripped over obstacles, bumped into posts, got lost on the marshes, almost got run over whilst rescuing a bee, got sunburnt when it wasn’t even sunny and been stopped whilst food shopping by a member of the public that recognised me as ‘that bird lady’.
Of course, I say this all in jest as despite all of the above, I wouldn’t change a thing. Every bump and bruise has been worth it because Bird Wise has allowed me to gain a greater appreciation of my local environment, enabling me to find something every day that makes me stop and smile. I find things in familiar places that I’ve never noticed before, with a yearning to expand my knowledge of the natural world and how to protect it. I am more appreciative of the everyday and live a simpler, more present existence and can honestly say that I have never felt happier. I love being able to share this passion for nature with friends, family and people that use our coastline for pleasure and am proud to be known as ‘that bird lady’.
So all in all, the benefits far outweigh the risks and my advice to anyone is to get outside as much as you can every day. As we were taught in school, follow the green cross code – stop, look and listen for nature (and be careful when crossing the road!)
