Urban Birding: Lesson by Nature

Most of the people say birds could anyway only be seen in the countryside. It is not true, so many wonderful, astonishing birds species are right there, in the heart of the city. Over the last 15 years, it has been seen and observed a substantial rise in people’s interest in urban-birding. Now during the pandemic, people are simply fascinated. Many have been filming the most surprising birds, seen simply from their balconies. Being mostly at home, many people are noticing birds almost for the first time. They could not believe that there are so many beautiful birds nesting and singing away where they live. People are thrilled to discover these birds these days- it’s literally lifted their hearts. And once people make this connection, they want to learn more about these birds’ habits and ahbitats.

Watching birds is very good for our mental well-being. So many people are just happy to open their windows and hear birdsong- it helps enormously. Many of us are realising the value of this, which we overlooked before the pandemic. If we did not have nature around us now, this would have been a very tough time. When you are in touch with nature though, it makes you feel connected to something much bigger than yourself. People are appreciating that connection today.

But whether this will lead to people significantly re-evaluating their behaviour towards nature, yes, pandemic lessons are on board. Since the lockdown began, they’ve thought deeply about why this has even happened. And they’ve tried to change their ways, by consuming more responsibly or turning vegan or vegetarian and marking introspective, wiser decisions towards the environment. but many others haven’t done so. The fact is, we face much larger catastrophes than the pandemic. It is frightening to know about climate change, which is apprehensive to our children’s future. We’re just carrying on heedlessly, despite the mass extinctions, the ecological destruction, the science showing us that this virus emerged due to humans disturbing the natural world.

All this should be enough to inspire us to change our ways. But many of us don’t seem to want to try. So, those of us who are ready to change will have to do more, both by way of our own individual behaviour and inspiring others. It’s a very valuable endeavour because every bit of change matters now. Nature’s giving us joy- but we cannot afford to overlook the lessons it’s teaching us. In our urban lives and our constant consuming, we have forgotten that we are very much a part of nature. Recalling that is essential now- both for our lives and our souls.

Matter referenced:

David Lindo, British Nature Conservationist, Educator and Urban Birder, Times Evoke, Times of India, Ahmedabad, Saturday, 11th July, 2020.

By: Dr. Bhawana Asnani.

Happy to see Reviews, Additions, Suggestions and Comments, further.

About Asnani Bhawana 288 Articles
Assistant Professor, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh, Gujarat

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