Birds Make People Happy
Jan. 4th, 2023 08:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
birdfeedingNature makes people happy. Within that field, birds make people happy; more specifically, singing birds boost mood. This effect increases the more different kinds of birds people can hear, meaning that species diversity has a direct impact on the mental health of humans.
Why might this be the case?
I think that, having evolved together, humans instinctively respond to birds because that correlates with survival. We share a lot of the same needs and concerns. An environment with lots of birds singing is probably high in resources and low in predators. An environment with few or no birds singing is likely barren, dangerous, or both.
Conversely, many birds like to hang around humans for item drops such as food or nesting material. A few make more deliberate barter arrangements, like honeyguides. This helps birds identify offered resources such as birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths.
This has a number of useful applications.
* When we go birdwatching, we are not just goofing off. We are maintaining species relationships that can be mutually beneficial, and we are improving our mental health along with many other benefits. The time we invest in this activity has significant payoffs.
* When we put out birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths or garden for wildlife with native species, we are not just helping ourselves with a pretty yard and helping wildlife survive. We're also making the whole neighborhood a better place to live for everyone, and helping all the other people our birds visit. The money we invest in supporting birds has significant payoffs -- if you're a homeowner, bird diversity raises property values.
* If you or someone you know suffers from mood issues such as depression or anxiety, suggest not only a walk in nature, but specifically recommend they go somewhere they can see and hear as many different birds as possible. A park with a pond or river is a good bet, or for indoors, a nature center with a wildlife viewing window that overlooks a feeding station. Get out of the car so you can clearly hear the birds. If possible, install bird fixtures at home to attract songbirds; or for attractions that require an absolute minimum of attention, put out some native plants that can take care of themselves once established. If you live close to someone who could use cheering up, these are things you could offer to do if they like -- drive them to a park, tend a birdfeeder, or plant a wildflower. You may not be able to fix everything, but you can cultivate conditions that promote improvement.
* Noise pollution doesn't just wreck physical and mental health directly. It also covers up sounds that make us feel calmer and happier, like running water or birdsong. You don't need a fancy sound meter to tell if an environment is too noisy. Just use your ears. Can you hear the nature sounds? If you can see but can't hear things like birds singing or trees sighing in the breeze, it's too noisy. Loud or mechanical sounds make people as well as wildlife uncomfortable, unhappy, and unhealthy.
To reduce mechanical noise and increase natural sounds, people can:
-- Plant street trees, which simultaneously buffers noise, creates leafy sounds, and attracts songbirds. In most areas, the best type of tree to plant is some local species of oak, as oaks support over 2,300 other species of wildlife.
-- Create natural buffers, such as walls or pergolas supporting native vines, that provide audiovisual barriers. Depending on construction and species, these may also attract birds.
-- Daylight streams in urban areas, which simultaneously increases water sounds and attracts songbirds.
-- Use nature-based solutions in urban water management, such as rain gardens, which simultaneously reduce flooding and pollution, increase nature sounds, and attract songbirds.
-- Use soft, irregular, natural materials that absorb or break up mechanical sounds rather than hard, smooth surfaces. For example, a path could be paved with bark chips instead of concrete. Natural materials also tend to be more bird-friendly and allow rain to soak in rather than run off and create a nuisance.
* Attracting birds is an affordable way to improve most environments. Because many birds are small with simple needs, even very modest resources such as a balcony, a sidewalk planter, or a pocket park will quickly attract them.
-- Network with your neighbors to make the whole neighborhood more welcoming for birds and other wildlife. By coordinating efforts, you can diversify food and plants, make sure water is scattered around, and maybe even create a pocket park. It is a lot easier to do a bluebird trail, or other birdhouse trail, this way because each person only needs to manage one or two of them.
-- Make sure every park offers food and water for wildlife. A feeding station is a small, cheap way to make a big improvement in park wildlife, and thus, user satisfaction among park visitors. A birdbath is cheap and easy, but a running fountain will have much bigger impact on humans and wildlife alike. Include bird food plantings known to attract specific birds, such as bayberries for yellow-rumped warblers. Oaks attract almost everything.
-- If you own a business, put out a feeding station, a birdbath, and/or a pollinator garden with larval food plants (American, European) because caterpillars = bird food. Preferably, also put a bench under a shade tree beside it for pedestrians; a bicycle rack will attract bikers too. Many businesses have a little strip of yard with at least one tree; that's enough to create a lovely comfort stop for your customers and wildlife. If possible, arrange this so your waiting room or office windows point toward the wildlife spot.
-- Create green corridors to connect parks and other greenspace. Check large yards for their connectivity too. Greenways make nice traveling for humans as well as giving wildlife a way to move from one habitat to another.
-- If your hometown is indifferent to its human and animal denizens, then you can make seed bombs with native species and chuck them into divider strips, corner notches, empty lots, park edges, or anywhere else you see a scrap of ignored unpaved ground. Favor native species that seed-eating birds love, such as coneflowers and bergamot.
Why might this be the case?
I think that, having evolved together, humans instinctively respond to birds because that correlates with survival. We share a lot of the same needs and concerns. An environment with lots of birds singing is probably high in resources and low in predators. An environment with few or no birds singing is likely barren, dangerous, or both.
Conversely, many birds like to hang around humans for item drops such as food or nesting material. A few make more deliberate barter arrangements, like honeyguides. This helps birds identify offered resources such as birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths.
This has a number of useful applications.
* When we go birdwatching, we are not just goofing off. We are maintaining species relationships that can be mutually beneficial, and we are improving our mental health along with many other benefits. The time we invest in this activity has significant payoffs.
* When we put out birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths or garden for wildlife with native species, we are not just helping ourselves with a pretty yard and helping wildlife survive. We're also making the whole neighborhood a better place to live for everyone, and helping all the other people our birds visit. The money we invest in supporting birds has significant payoffs -- if you're a homeowner, bird diversity raises property values.
* If you or someone you know suffers from mood issues such as depression or anxiety, suggest not only a walk in nature, but specifically recommend they go somewhere they can see and hear as many different birds as possible. A park with a pond or river is a good bet, or for indoors, a nature center with a wildlife viewing window that overlooks a feeding station. Get out of the car so you can clearly hear the birds. If possible, install bird fixtures at home to attract songbirds; or for attractions that require an absolute minimum of attention, put out some native plants that can take care of themselves once established. If you live close to someone who could use cheering up, these are things you could offer to do if they like -- drive them to a park, tend a birdfeeder, or plant a wildflower. You may not be able to fix everything, but you can cultivate conditions that promote improvement.
* Noise pollution doesn't just wreck physical and mental health directly. It also covers up sounds that make us feel calmer and happier, like running water or birdsong. You don't need a fancy sound meter to tell if an environment is too noisy. Just use your ears. Can you hear the nature sounds? If you can see but can't hear things like birds singing or trees sighing in the breeze, it's too noisy. Loud or mechanical sounds make people as well as wildlife uncomfortable, unhappy, and unhealthy.
To reduce mechanical noise and increase natural sounds, people can:
-- Plant street trees, which simultaneously buffers noise, creates leafy sounds, and attracts songbirds. In most areas, the best type of tree to plant is some local species of oak, as oaks support over 2,300 other species of wildlife.
-- Create natural buffers, such as walls or pergolas supporting native vines, that provide audiovisual barriers. Depending on construction and species, these may also attract birds.
-- Daylight streams in urban areas, which simultaneously increases water sounds and attracts songbirds.
-- Use nature-based solutions in urban water management, such as rain gardens, which simultaneously reduce flooding and pollution, increase nature sounds, and attract songbirds.
-- Use soft, irregular, natural materials that absorb or break up mechanical sounds rather than hard, smooth surfaces. For example, a path could be paved with bark chips instead of concrete. Natural materials also tend to be more bird-friendly and allow rain to soak in rather than run off and create a nuisance.
* Attracting birds is an affordable way to improve most environments. Because many birds are small with simple needs, even very modest resources such as a balcony, a sidewalk planter, or a pocket park will quickly attract them.
-- Network with your neighbors to make the whole neighborhood more welcoming for birds and other wildlife. By coordinating efforts, you can diversify food and plants, make sure water is scattered around, and maybe even create a pocket park. It is a lot easier to do a bluebird trail, or other birdhouse trail, this way because each person only needs to manage one or two of them.
-- Make sure every park offers food and water for wildlife. A feeding station is a small, cheap way to make a big improvement in park wildlife, and thus, user satisfaction among park visitors. A birdbath is cheap and easy, but a running fountain will have much bigger impact on humans and wildlife alike. Include bird food plantings known to attract specific birds, such as bayberries for yellow-rumped warblers. Oaks attract almost everything.
-- If you own a business, put out a feeding station, a birdbath, and/or a pollinator garden with larval food plants (American, European) because caterpillars = bird food. Preferably, also put a bench under a shade tree beside it for pedestrians; a bicycle rack will attract bikers too. Many businesses have a little strip of yard with at least one tree; that's enough to create a lovely comfort stop for your customers and wildlife. If possible, arrange this so your waiting room or office windows point toward the wildlife spot.
-- Create green corridors to connect parks and other greenspace. Check large yards for their connectivity too. Greenways make nice traveling for humans as well as giving wildlife a way to move from one habitat to another.
-- If your hometown is indifferent to its human and animal denizens, then you can make seed bombs with native species and chuck them into divider strips, corner notches, empty lots, park edges, or anywhere else you see a scrap of ignored unpaved ground. Favor native species that seed-eating birds love, such as coneflowers and bergamot.
