Earth Day takes place on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 and WildSafeBC is suggesting a new way of honouring Earth Day by participating in indoor birding.
WildSafeBC says that Earth Day is all about celebrating the environment and nature.
“Celebrating the environment is easy to do, even with practicing physical distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19,” WildSafe said in a press release. “What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to participate in indoor birding. Yes, indoor birding - it is a relaxing activity [than can be done] from the comfort of your own home, all while celebrating nature.”
Danica Roussy, WildSafeBC’s community coordinator for Cranbrook/Kimberley, says this is a great activity to do from home.
“WildSafeBC wants to share and support Nature Canada’s Earth Day activity of indoor birding,” said Roussy. “It’s a great activity that can be done in your yard, by looking out the window, or sitting on your front porch, all while maintaining social distancing.”
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Nature Canada explains that nature can reduce stress and anxiety and ground you during these trying times. This is true even when you experience the outdoors from the comfort of your own home.
Nature Canada recommends the following tips to get the most out of indoor birding.
“The most crucial aspect of indoor birding is the most simple one: find a place that provides an adequate view of the outdoors,” says Nature Canada. “In an ideal situation, this view would include trees, tall grasses, shrubs and wildflowers, and other natural elements that attract birds.”
Once you have a suitable location, make yourself comfortable with some pillows, blankets, snacks, a notebook, pencils and binoculars.
“Patience is key to bird watching,” Nature Canada explained. “If you have ever been birding, you will know there is sometimes nothing much to do but watch and wait. This can be challenging if you are eager to see birds, but the reality is it’s often worth the wait. But let’s face it, we have a lot of time on our hands these days.”
Nature Canada also has instructions for building your own nest box to attract birds to your yard along with other tips for spotting birds on their website.
Nest Watch is an online tool that allows you to select your region and habitat to find out which species of birds live in your area.
Those participating in both indoor and outdoor birding can contribute their findings to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s online bird resource. You can find more birds by learning about where they live, share your sightings on their world-wide map, and track your lists of birds.
corey.bullock@cranbrooktownsman.com
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