For the Birds

When the conversation goes to bird watching, my woeful/embarrassing ignorance makes me fall silent. I have never figured out how to see those little beings in their big camouflaging world, let alone cipher their features into a name. Luckily someone suggested the idea of listening for bird songs. Hooray! A new way to go at it! On my next walk, I listened, and also tried (badly) to mimic the sound. Besides the delight of it, I also received the benefit of having my attention shift from the omnipresent annoying sounds of the nearby freeway and the ringing in my ears. Then there was the unseen benefit of building new neural pathways in my brain, which has never before been challenged that way. Do you have a stuck place that can benefit from a different sense? How about joining me in playfully trying it? (Or maybe you want to add more structure to your observations by using the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s free Merlin app, which can help with attaching a name to your observations.) And who knows, maybe the closed door of birding has now been cracked open…maybe?

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.