Ornitherapy is a shortcut to health and happiness

By Rosemary Staples

Contributor

America’s night skies will soon be pluming with billions of birds leaving Canada to the Caribbean for fall migration. According to birdcast.info, 30 million birds have already crossed into South Carolina since August 1, a healthy start for this fall spectacle.

Guided by instinct, stars and the earth’s magnetic pull, huge flocks will stopover on Pinckney Island, Palmetto Bluff, Fish Haul Beach and other habitats, often landing on the same patch of dirt as the year before. These migrants will rest and refuel, and provide us with months of birding delight, straight through springtime. “Citizen scientists” will be out with their well-trained binoculars, scopes and cameras, ready to identify and photograph the 200 or so additional species that migrate through the Lowcountry each year.

If hauling high-tech gear around isn’t your style, there is a gentler, therapeutic form of birdwatching called “ornitherapy” that has captured attention. Also known as “Mindful Birding,” it is free, easy and accessible to all ages and abilities. The therapeutic technique uses birdwatching as a portal to nature to improve mental and physical well-being. Research shows that watching birds reduces stress and anxiety, and it boosts our immune system. Almost 2500 years ago, Hippocrates prescribed “nature as the best physician,” and now, modern science offers evidence to back the claim.

Author, birder and educator, Holly Merker wrote about the therapeutic values in Ornitherapy: for Mind, Body and Soul, released just as Covid-19 was ravaging the world. People who were isolated from family and colleagues began turning to birds for companionship, and they discovered birdwatching as a path to better health and a joyful pastime. Holly’s book is packed with meditations, writing exercises, birding tips and stunning photography. This month, Holly will visit Hilton Head to conduct a workshop, sponsored by HH Audubon.

The word “ornitherapy” was first coined in 1979 by Dr. A.F. Cox, who discovered that prescribing birdwatching for patients with depression was as effective as treatment with tranquilizers. A Scientific Reports study said watching birds also lowers blood pressure and improves cardiac health. Since birding requires concentration and focus, it sparks memory and cognitive skills, while listening to bird songs - and our favorite tunes - raises dopamine levels and our mood. Singer Carly Simon knew this intuitively, when she mused, “the sound of birds stops the noise in my mind.”

Mindful Birding can be practiced anywhere and anytime, indoors or out. Rather than counting species, participants simply observe birds’ behavior, relax and commune with nature. To notice birds rather than knowing their names is the goal - the naming skill will come with time. As for seasoned birdwatchers, giving the brain a break from intense field work can make for happier birders.

Regardless of the level, observing our avian friends migrating through the Lowcountry this fall will offer ample opportunities to practice Mindful Birding techniques. See you at the class September 30.

Rosemary Staples is a board member of Hilton Head Audubon, long time Lowcountry resident, writer, speaker, storyteller and Master Naturalist.