Ann Stinely is a standout bird-watcher who also happens to be a veteran nurse in small-town North Carolina.
She’s had the hobby for decades, and says it’s a source of stress relief, exercise — and wonder. She’s developed an enviable “life list” of bird sightings, bonded with scores of fellow birders and taken weeklong vacations centered on bird-watching in nature hot spots like the Outer Banks.
At home, she takes a camera, binoculars and sometimes a birding buddy and sets off for a nearby lake or park. She watches birds whenever she’s got time off work and the weather cooperates — and sometimes if it’s raining or snowing.
She says the hobby helped her resist ill effects from the “blah month of February,” when she set an arbitrary goal of spotting 50 species each day. “That kept me off the couch and walking 10,000 steps a day.”
Stinely recommends this pursuit for fellow nurses, or pretty much anybody who likes wildlife and wants to actually look forward to getting outdoors and staying active, instead of feeling like it’s a chore. But note, you don’t have to be as dedicated or far-ranging as Stinely.
Bird-watching is an accessible, inexpensive hobby that rookies can enjoy from the very first outing.
“You can bird anywhere, anytime. It’s a hobby you can do in your back yard or take with you around the world,” National Park Service said. “It’s very rewarding to see something new, to be able to name what you see, and to make discoveries. It’s also only as much work as you want it to be.”
In the Peach State, you’ll have loads of opportunity to observe our fine feathered friends. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources website: “Georgia’s location along a migratory route ensures seasonal wildlife that never fails to fascinate and entertain. This is most evident when it comes to the number of different birds you may spot in our parks. There are over 300 species, including colorful examples such as painted buntings, ruby throated hummingbirds, bald eagles, wood storks and great egrets.”
This kind of engagement can be particularly helpful for anyone who’s been feeling frenzied or housebound since March 2020 (that’s everybody, right?).
In coverage for the American Birding Association, Birding magazine editor Ted Floyd explained how “the pandemic has highlighted what was until recently a consistently undervalued virtue of birding. It’s good. Good for all of us, individually and corporately. Birding has gotten me out of the house, every single day of the pandemic. Exercise is good. Birding has introduced me to new friends. Friends are very good. And birding continues to challenge me to notice and marvel about the world around me. Thinking and wondering are very, very good.”