For many, filling a feeder is a routine way to connect with birds and other wildlife. But researchers know less about what that interaction may mean for the people doing it.
A Virginia Tech-led study of people who feed birds in the United States and Canada found that most believed feeding and watching birds had a positive effect on their well-being. The study also identified three ways people described that connection: through emotions, engagement, and a sense of meaning.
“Feeding and observing birds is a really meaningful way for people to connect with nature, and people feel that it has positive impacts on their well-being,” said Kelley Langhans, a research scientist at Virginia Tech and the study’s lead author.
The research was published Sept. 2 in Ambio. The research team included scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, The Ohio State University, North Carolina State University, ZSL (Zoological Society of London), and a therapist.
Researchers surveyed participants in Project FeederWatch – people who submit their winter bird-feeding observations to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology – before and after the six-month FeederWatch season. They measured well-being using a common mental well-being questionnaire and later asked participants to reflect on how feeding and observing birds had affected them.
At the end of the season, 95% of people said feeding and observing birds had affected their well-being positively. By comparison, 55% said other events in their lives had a positive effect over the same period.
Emotions were the most common way that people felt feeding and observing birds impacted their well-being. People described feeling joy, gratitude, hope, and calm when they fed birds. Some said watching birds helped reduce stress or gave them something positive to focus on during difficult periods, such as illness or experiencing a death in the family.
Others described engagement in the activity. Watching feeders sparked curiosity, held their attention or helped them build bird-identification skills.
People also shared the sense of meaning they gained from participating in feeding. Some people felt they were helping birds or contributing to science through Project FeederWatch. Others described a stronger connection to nature or to family members who watched birds with them.
The findings deepen our understanding of the human impacts of an activity that can both benefit and create risks for birds. Feeders can contribute to disease transmission, predation, and window collisions, depending on how they are managed.
“We know there may be risks, as well as benefits, for birds from feeding, but we also know this activity can be an important way for people to connect with nature,” said Ashley Dayer, a professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment. “Understanding more about those human well-being impacts helps us support wildlife agencies in taking a more measured approach and, rather than dismissing bird feeding, instead thinking about how people can feed birds responsibly while reducing risks to wildlife.”
“We encourage people who want to feed birds to check out guidance from Project FeederWatch and other experts on how to do so safely,” Langhans said. “Practices like regularly cleaning feeders, keeping cats indoors, and collision-proofing windows can do a lot to mitigate risks to birds.”
Those who are interested in learning can view guidelines from Project FeederWatch here.
The work was supported by the National Science Foundation and later by the Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech
