{"id":1883522,"date":"2026-04-15T12:02:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T09:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1883522"},"modified":"2026-04-15T12:02:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T09:02:00","slug":"i-love-my-brain-on-birds-why-is-everyone-so-obsessed-with-birdwatching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1883522","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I love my brain on birds\u2019: Why is everyone so obsessed with birdwatching?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/265-0-1227-818\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443421.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/life-culture\/article\/70092\/1\/i-love-my-brain-on-birds-meet-the-new-generation-of-birdwatchers\" data-article-id=\"70092\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"2.34\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"BIRDERS-superJumbo\" class=\"img\" height=\"818\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443421.jpg\" width=\"1917\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">A Birder&#8217;s Guide <span class=\"nowrap\">to Everything<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-15T12:02:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"15 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"15\">15,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - life-culture\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>\u2018I love my brain on birds\u2019: Why is everyone so obsessed <span class=\"nowrap\">with birdwatching?<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>Birding has historically been stereotyped as a boomer-adjacent pastime \u2013 but now growing numbers of younger people are taking up the hobby in a bid to get offline and reconnect <span class=\"nowrap\">with nature<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-04-15T12:02:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"15 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"15\">15,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-04-15T12:02:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"15 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"15\">15,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/HattiRex\">Hatti Rex<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Have you heard, about the bird? As it turns out, many have. With big tech making the internet increasingly addictive, more and more young people are diagnosing themselves with\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DPhsjjBE6qe\/\"><span>Early Onset Birder Syndrome<\/span><\/a><span> and flocking en masse to amateur birdwatching (AKA birding). I can relate, having recently evolved from searching for fictional virtual creatures in <em>Pokemon Go<\/em> to being immersed in the actual wildlife around me using Merlin Bird ID, an app which is sort of like Shazam but for bird calls. A little bird told me that similar bird-logging apps also exist, including Birda and Birdex, though I haven\u2019t tried them (yet).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Lots of people are talking about their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DU6CNbmEbQ9\/\">birding exploits on social media<\/a><\/span><span>, and even the RSPB has been posting <\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@rspb\/video\/7623026290496441622\">memes on TikTok that chime with Gen Z<\/a>\u2019s distinctly nonsensical sense of humour. According to Google Trends, searches for the term \u2018birdwatching\u2019 have been on an incline for the last five years, peaking in February 2026.<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span>Bryant Park in NY recently went viral for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZNRXhNsUY\/\"><span>attracting huge crowds<\/span><\/a><span> trying to see the dancing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZNRXh63BG\/\"><span>American Woodcock<\/span><\/a><span> (sidenote: imagine generating\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZNRXhjPvP\/\"><span>this much hype<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0just for existing). <\/span><span>But what\u2019s behind this growing interest in our neighbourhood feathery friends?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Tennessee-based birding advocate and singer-songwriter Bonner Black picked up birdwatching \u201ckind of as a joke\u201d around five years ago, while looking for a hobby during a mental health crisis. \u201cW<\/span><span>ithin a month, I was completely hooked,\u201d she admits. \u201cBirding really did rescue me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7494538385625713942\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Birders often refer to the first bird that grabbed their interest as a \u2018spark bird\u2019. For Black, this was a Carolina wren. \u201cI was in a state of depression when I saw this small brown bird land on my backyard fence and for whatever reason, that sparked the thought: \u2018what if I tried birdwatching?\u2019\u201d Black immediately ordered a pair of binoculars and a bird book, and h<\/span><span>er social feeds are now a blend of music-related posts and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DQoydQ9kfUy\/?hl=en\"><span>birdwatching content<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201c<\/span><span>People show up to my shows with bird-themed gifts and nature photographers will use my music for their bird videos,\u201d she says, adding that, as well as hosting birding tours, she has also been invited to speak at birding events in both the US and the UK. \u201cThe birding community is made up of the greatest people ever and I\u2019m so thankful to be immersed in this world.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Having<\/span><span>already birded in Spain, Costa Rica, and the British Virgin Islands,<\/span><span>Black also uses her tours as an opportunity to log new species. \u201cI just got back from a tour in the UK and in between the shows I went birding. I got a white-tailed eagle just outside of London!\u201d She\u2019s now scheduled to attend various birding events across the US and UK, as well as host a birding and wellness retreat in Costa Rica. \u201c<\/span><span>I love my brain on birds,\u201d she explains. \u201cIn birding, you may not always find what you are looking for, but there is always something beautiful to be found as long as you go looking. This is how I see life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The soothing effects of birding and being out in nature more generally are not to be underestimated. \u201cWe\u2019ve been raised on 24\/7 news and have more stimulation than the generations before us,\u201d Black says. \u201cMy anxiety is a constant battle, but the act of birding is a grounding exercise\u2026 What am I hearing? Where is it coming from? What am I seeing? What are the details?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>I have to be so present in that moment: no screens, no texts, no outside noise. It totally regulates my nervous system in a way nothing else can<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Search \u2018birdwatching\u2019 into Instagram and you\u2019ll find endless <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DWrEP57kRVf\/?hl=en\"><span>bird memes<\/span><\/a><span> and nature clips with captions like, \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DW8rEatjN9O\/?hl=en\">type shi you gotta do to not go insane<\/a><span>\u201d. The hobby\u2019s associated mental health benefits have been backed up by science: according to a study published in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jneurosci.org\/content\/46\/12\/e1307252026\"><span>Journal of Neuroscience<\/span><\/a><span> last month, birdwatching can help your brain to build neuroplasticity and protect itself against the negative impacts of ageing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Bird-watching has also had a transformative effect on the life of\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/domipalmer\/?hl=en\"><span>Dominique Palmer<\/span><\/a><span>, a London-based author and climate advocate. \u201cNo one talks about what happens to you in your 20s\u201d, she says in one video, while <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DVvjS1SDfsl\/\"><span>carrying binoculars through a rainforest in Thailand.<\/span><\/a><span> \u201cOne day I thought,\u00a0\u2018oh that bird looks cool\u2019 and the next second I\u2019m sweating through the rainforest with nothing but my binos, bird ID apps and a dream\u201d. She tells me that she began birdwatching in 2022, after a friend gifted her some binoculars. Her spark bird was a kingfisher she observed chilling on a nearby branch. Birds have since become a big fixture in her life; she even spotted two golden eagles right after getting engaged in the Scottish Highlands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Palmer finds birding to be incredibly grounding. \u201cMy ears are alert for different calls, or the sound of a woodpecker drum. My eyes scan the horizon for a small ruffle of a tree, or a flash of colour,\u201d she explains. \u201cI also find joy in getting familiar with the same birds in my area: currently, a green woodpecker is building a nest for its babies, and it always makes me excited to still see it there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI think in the current political and socioeconomic state we find ourselves in, more people want to feel connected to nature,\u201d she continues. \u201cAs a climate advocate, one of the reasons we are in a climate crisis is a lack of connection to nature and each other: forget doomscrolling, it is time for joymaxxing!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7612325015400353026\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZNR4cfndU\/\">TikTok video<\/a> which has racked up over 60,000 views (captioned \u2018so cooked I started birdwatching in my 20s<\/span><span>&#8216;), hospitality worker and content creator Emmy Short holds up a pair of binoculars and peeks out from a wooden bird hide. The comments are generally positive or, at the very least, curious; unsurprisingly, the RSPB is in there too. \u201cGrowing up in the countryside, I have always had an awareness and connection to nature,\u201d she tells me. \u201cAs a child, my grandma would point out birds in the garden and tell us stories about them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After realising her casual appreciation had turned into a deeper fascination, she started taking birding more seriously in 2024. <\/span><span>\u201cIt\u2019s the perfect combination of serenity and excitement. There\u2019s a sense of achievement and accomplishment when you unlock a new species,\u201d she explains.\u00a0<\/span><span>Her spark bird was<\/span><span>\u00a0the heron, which now graces two tattoos on her back. \u201cThey feel so prehistoric and majestic, and they\u2019re super prevalent in all my favourite places, like my childhood home and the river I walk my dog along every day.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Birding, for Emmy, is a way to be anchored in the present moment, away from screens, texts and outside noise.\u00a0<\/span><span>\u201cIt regulates my nervous system in a way nothing else can,\u201d she says. \u201cI never walk away from the bird hide with the same problems I walked in with. They always seem to feel lighter after a few hours birding.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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class=\"card-latest__title\">George Riley unpacks her favourite travel spots for RIMOWA <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/70034\/1\/do-we-care-humans-stepping-foot-on-moon-2026-nasa-artemis-ii-mission\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A Trip to the Moon (1902) still\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-1-1836-1221\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442889.png\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Who cares about going to the moon in 2026?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/70026\/1\/date-my-friend-new-york-pitching-your-friends-secret-finding-love-dating\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Date My Friend\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-594-1988-1322\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442867.JPG\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Date My Friend: Is pitching your friends the secret to finding love?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Have you heard, about the bird? As it turns out, many have. With big tech making the internet increasingly addictive, more and more young people are diagnosing themselves with\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DPhsjjBE6qe\/\"><span>Early Onset Birder Syndrome<\/span><\/a><span> and flocking en masse to amateur birdwatching (AKA birding). I can relate, having recently evolved from searching for fictional virtual creatures in <em>Pokemon Go<\/em> to being immersed in the actual wildlife around me using Merlin Bird ID, an app which is sort of like Shazam but for bird calls. A little bird told me that similar bird-logging apps also exist, including Birda and Birdex, though I haven\u2019t tried them (yet).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Lots of people are talking about their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DU6CNbmEbQ9\/\">birding exploits on social media<\/a><\/span><span>, and even the RSPB has been posting <\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@rspb\/video\/7623026290496441622\">memes on TikTok that chime with Gen Z<\/a>\u2019s distinctly nonsensical sense of humour. According to Google Trends, searches for the term \u2018birdwatching\u2019 have been on an incline for the last five years, peaking in February 2026.<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span>Bryant Park in NY recently went viral for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZNRXhNsUY\/\"><span>attracting huge crowds<\/span><\/a><span> trying to see the dancing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZNRXh63BG\/\"><span>American Woodcock<\/span><\/a><span> (sidenote: imagine generating\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZNRXhjPvP\/\"><span>this much hype<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0just for existing). <\/span><span>But what\u2019s behind this growing interest in our neighbourhood feathery friends?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Tennessee-based birding advocate and singer-songwriter Bonner Black picked up birdwatching \u201ckind of as a joke\u201d around five years ago, while looking for a hobby during a mental health crisis. \u201cW<\/span><span>ithin a month, I was completely hooked,\u201d she admits. \u201cBirding really did rescue me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7494538385625713942\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Birders often refer to the first bird that grabbed their interest as a \u2018spark bird\u2019. For Black, this was a Carolina wren. \u201cI was in a state of depression when I saw this small brown bird land on my backyard fence and for whatever reason, that sparked the thought: \u2018what if I tried birdwatching?\u2019\u201d Black immediately ordered a pair of binoculars and a bird book, and h<\/span><span>er social feeds are now a blend of music-related posts and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DQoydQ9kfUy\/?hl=en\"><span>birdwatching content<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201c<\/span><span>People show up to my shows with bird-themed gifts and nature photographers will use my music for their bird videos,\u201d she says, adding that, as well as hosting birding tours, she has also been invited to speak at birding events in both the US and the UK. \u201cThe birding community is made up of the greatest people ever and I\u2019m so thankful to be immersed in this world.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Having<\/span><span>already birded in Spain, Costa Rica, and the British Virgin Islands,<\/span><span>Black also uses her tours as an opportunity to log new species. \u201cI just got back from a tour in the UK and in between the shows I went birding. I got a white-tailed eagle just outside of London!\u201d She\u2019s now scheduled to attend various birding events across the US and UK, as well as host a birding and wellness retreat in Costa Rica. \u201c<\/span><span>I love my brain on birds,\u201d she explains. \u201cIn birding, you may not always find what you are looking for, but there is always something beautiful to be found as long as you go looking. This is how I see life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The soothing effects of birding and being out in nature more generally are not to be underestimated. \u201cWe\u2019ve been raised on 24\/7 news and have more stimulation than the generations before us,\u201d Black says. \u201cMy anxiety is a constant battle, but the act of birding is a grounding exercise\u2026 What am I hearing? Where is it coming from? What am I seeing? What are the details?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>I have to be so present in that moment: no screens, no texts, no outside noise. It totally regulates my nervous system in a way nothing else can<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Search \u2018birdwatching\u2019 into Instagram and you\u2019ll find endless <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DWrEP57kRVf\/?hl=en\"><span>bird memes<\/span><\/a><span> and nature clips with captions like, \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DW8rEatjN9O\/?hl=en\">type shi you gotta do to not go insane<\/a><span>\u201d. The hobby\u2019s associated mental health benefits have been backed up by science: according to a study published in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jneurosci.org\/content\/46\/12\/e1307252026\"><span>Journal of Neuroscience<\/span><\/a><span> last month, birdwatching can help your brain to build neuroplasticity and protect itself against the negative impacts of ageing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Bird-watching has also had a transformative effect on the life of\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/domipalmer\/?hl=en\"><span>Dominique Palmer<\/span><\/a><span>, a London-based author and climate advocate. \u201cNo one talks about what happens to you in your 20s\u201d, she says in one video, while <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DVvjS1SDfsl\/\"><span>carrying binoculars through a rainforest in Thailand.<\/span><\/a><span> \u201cOne day I thought,\u00a0\u2018oh that bird looks cool\u2019 and the next second I\u2019m sweating through the rainforest with nothing but my binos, bird ID apps and a dream\u201d. She tells me that she began birdwatching in 2022, after a friend gifted her some binoculars. Her spark bird was a kingfisher she observed chilling on a nearby branch. Birds have since become a big fixture in her life; she even spotted two golden eagles right after getting engaged in the Scottish Highlands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Palmer finds birding to be incredibly grounding. \u201cMy ears are alert for different calls, or the sound of a woodpecker drum. My eyes scan the horizon for a small ruffle of a tree, or a flash of colour,\u201d she explains. \u201cI also find joy in getting familiar with the same birds in my area: currently, a green woodpecker is building a nest for its babies, and it always makes me excited to still see it there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI think in the current political and socioeconomic state we find ourselves in, more people want to feel connected to nature,\u201d she continues. \u201cAs a climate advocate, one of the reasons we are in a climate crisis is a lack of connection to nature and each other: forget doomscrolling, it is time for joymaxxing!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7612325015400353026\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/vm.tiktok.com\/ZNR4cfndU\/\">TikTok video<\/a> which has racked up over 60,000 views (captioned \u2018so cooked I started birdwatching in my 20s<\/span><span>&#8216;), hospitality worker and content creator Emmy Short holds up a pair of binoculars and peeks out from a wooden bird hide. The comments are generally positive or, at the very least, curious; unsurprisingly, the RSPB is in there too. \u201cGrowing up in the countryside, I have always had an awareness and connection to nature,\u201d she tells me. \u201cAs a child, my grandma would point out birds in the garden and tell us stories about them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After realising her casual appreciation had turned into a deeper fascination, she started taking birding more seriously in 2024. <\/span><span>\u201cIt\u2019s the perfect combination of serenity and excitement. There\u2019s a sense of achievement and accomplishment when you unlock a new species,\u201d she explains.\u00a0<\/span><span>Her spark bird was<\/span><span>\u00a0the heron, which now graces two tattoos on her back. \u201cThey feel so prehistoric and majestic, and they\u2019re super prevalent in all my favourite places, like my childhood home and the river I walk my dog along every day.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Birding, for Emmy, is a way to be anchored in the present moment, away from screens, texts and outside noise.\u00a0<\/span><span>\u201cIt regulates my nervous system in a way nothing else can,\u201d she says. \u201cI never walk away from the bird hide with the same problems I walked in with. They always seem to feel lighter after a few hours birding.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/70092\/1\/i-love-my-brain-on-birds-meet-the-new-generation-of-birdwatchers&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/265-0-1227-818\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/3\/1443421.jpg&#8221;] A Birder&#8217;s Guide to Everything April\u00a0 15,\u00a0 2026 Life &amp; Culture \/ Feature Life &amp; Culture \/ Feature \u2018I love my brain on birds\u2019: Why is everyone so obsessed with birdwatching? Birding has historically been stereotyped as a boomer-adjacent pastime \u2013 but now growing numbers of younger people are taking up the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1883522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1883522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1883522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1883522\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1883522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1883522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1883522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}