A pleasant environment is essential for overall good health in body, mind and spirit. Birds enhance our environment tremendously with their natural beauty and chirping and should be appreciated for this. The Central Ornithology Publication Office reported, backyard birds enhance life in urban neighborhoods.
J. Amy Belaire of St. Edward’s University and Lynne Westphal of the U.S. Forest Service along with Emily Minor and Christopher Whelan of the University of Illinois at Chicago visited urban neighborhoods in the Chicago area to investigate how people view their backyard birds. They explored the fascinating relationship between people and birds in nature in a city setting.
The researchers discovered that residents’ feelings towards birds were generally extremely positive. There were however some people who found bird droppings, nests in gutters, and other things they considered nuisances from birds to be annoying. Still, overall people seemed to appreciate birds for the positive ways their presence improved their environment.
Social surveys done by these researchers helped to highlight the many things people value about birds in their neighborhood, particularly the birds’ aesthetic qualities and the important role they play in local ecosystems. It has been suggested that programs such as citizen science projects can further enhance people’s awareness of their neighborhoods’ bird diversity.
This study has been published in The Condor. In our ever more urbanized world cities are often where people come into contact with the natural world around us. This connection is seen in parks, urban nature and in residential yards. It is felt that birds offer us a vital connecting point between city dwellers and the broader natural environment. This leaves us with a notion that it’s a nice idea to treat birds nicely and appreciate the natural beauty they bring to our lives.
