For so many reasons. And because, it turns out, the birds need us as much as we need them.
There's something that happens when you put up a feeder and start paying attention. The world outside your window, the one you've been walking past, driving past, scrolling past, suddenly comes into focus. A chickadee. A nuthatch. A flash of red that turns out to be a cardinal. You didn't know they were there. But they were always there, only now you’re taking notice of the pure joy (and stress relief) of watching birds just being birds.
That's the beginning of birding. And it turns out, it's the beginning of something genuinely good for you.
"Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.” - Douglas Coupland
The Science of Birds and Wellbeing
This isn't wishful thinking or poetic licence. The research is real, it's rigorous, and it's worth knowing about.
Researchers at King's College London tracked over 1,200 people across three years, asking them multiple times a day whether they could see or hear birds — and how they felt. The findings were striking. Seeing or hearing birds was associated with improvements in mental wellbeing that lasted up to eight hours. Not minutes. Hours. And the benefits were just as significant for people living with depression as for those without.
A separate 2024 study found that just thirty minutes of birdwatching can make us measurably happier and healthier - and was more effective at reducing stress than going for a nature walk.
Perhaps most remarkably of all, a study of more than 26,000 adults across Europe found that the diversity of birds in a person's neighbourhood was as important to their sense of wellbeing as their financial security.
Read that again. Birds. As important as financial security.
We're not suggesting you cancel your financial planning. But we are suggesting you put up a feeder.
You Don't Have to Go Anywhere
This is one of the things we love most about backyard birding, and one of the things that makes it genuinely accessible in a way that other nature activities aren't.
You don't need a car, a trail, special equipment, or good weather. You need a feeder, a window, and birdseed worth putting in it. The birds come to you.
For people with mobility challenges, chronic illness, anxiety, or simply very full lives, that accessibility matters enormously. The research bears this out too - birdwatching has been shown to have positive effects on nursing home residents, on college students struggling with mental health, on mental health professionals during the pandemic. The birds don't discriminate. They show up for everyone.
Finding Your Flock
One of the things the birding community has been quietly and deliberately doing in recent years is making sure it truly belongs to everyone - not just in theory, but in practice.
Birding doesn't require you to fit a particular mold. It just requires a curiosity about the birds outside your window. The community will take care of the rest.
And if your entry point is a feeder on a balcony, a window in a classroom, or a backyard in a peanut-free household, that counts too. It all counts. The birds don't check credentials at the door. If your community is your backyard full of birds, that's perfectly okay too.
Here are a few communities we've quietly admired over the years - we're not affiliated with any of them, just fans. Consider them a starting point; there are many more out there doing great things. You’ll find your flock.
Birdability works specifically to remove barriers for birders with disabilities, chronic illness, neurodivergence, and other health concerns - including a map of accessible birding locations across North America.
The Feminist Bird Club creates safe spaces for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ birders through chapters across the US, Canada, and beyond — and fundraises for social justice organizations along the way.
The Urban Bird Collective centres BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities in its work.
Black Birders Week celebrates and amplifies Black birders, scientists, and naturalists.
The American Birding Association's Young Birders Network connects youth across North America to regional clubs, mentors, and field trips. It's a place where a kid who loves birds can find their people.
Queer birding groups, senior birding clubs, youth birding programs, school garden societies - the community is there, it's active, and it's looking for people exactly like you.
Birding and the Bigger Picture
There's something else worth saying here, something that sits at the heart of why Wallis Johns exists.
Birding isn't just good for the people doing it. It's good for the birds. And right now, the birds need our help. A 2019 study established that North America had already lost 3 billion birds since 1970. A follow-up landmark study published in Science in February 2026 found something more troubling still. The decline isn't just continuing. It's accelerating. Drawing on nearly four decades of data, it found that nearly half of the 261 bird species examined across North America showed significant population losses since 1987 — and more than half of those declining species are losing birds at an accelerating rate. Not just declining. Declining faster.
The causes are multiple. Habitat loss. Agricultural intensity, the expansion of cropland and the use of pesticides and fertilizer. Outdoor cats, which are estimated to kill between 1.3 and 4 billion birds in the US alone every year. Window and building collisions, which kill over a billion more - birds can't see glass, perceiving reflections of sky and vegetation as open habitat. It adds up to a landscape that is genuinely harder to be a bird in than it was fifty years ago.
Australia is moving toward mandatory cat containment laws in some regions, specifically because of the toll on native birds and wildlife. The conversation is happening everywhere.
None of this is meant as a guilt trip. Most of us love birds and would help them if we knew how. The good news is that the things that help are mostly small, and mostly close to home.
What you can do. A few small things that will help.
Leaving seed heads on plants over winter rather than cutting them back gives birds a natural food source through the hardest months.
Planting native species creates habitat and attracts the insects that many birds depend on.
Bird-safe window treatments can significantly reduce collisions.
Keeping cats indoors, or in an outdoor enclosure, makes a measurable difference.
And, putting up a feeder with good seed, seed that actually nourishes birds, free of fillers and chemicals, in a yard you're trying to make a little safer and a little more welcoming, is one of the simplest things you can do. You're creating a small refuge. A reliable food source. A reason for birds to stay.
That's not a grand gesture. It's a feeder outside a window. But it adds up. And right now, every feeder counts.
Who Is a Birder?
Everyone. That's the honest answer.
Birding might conjure images of binoculars, life lists, early mornings in wellies on a wooded trail. And yes, it can be all of those things. But it doesn't have to be any of them.
A birder is anyone who notices the birds. A child who asks what that red one is called. A teacher who puts a feeder outside a classroom window. A family who moved to a new city and wants a small connection to the natural world. A person with a peanut allergy who just wants to fill the feeder without worrying about it.
Birding belongs to everyone. The joy of it, the peace of it, the health benefits of it, and none of that requires expertise or equipment or even leaving the house.
It just requires paying attention. A feeder to fill. And some good seed to put in it. That's it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need special equipment to start birding?
Not at all. You need a feeder, a window, and birdseed that's actually worth putting in it. Binoculars help you see more detail and are a worthwhile investment if you get hooked (and you just might), but they're not required to begin.
(our Something for Everyone blend attracts and is loved by all the seed-eating backyard birds, coast to coast, all year long)
Is birding good for children?
Really good. Birding builds observation skills, patience, curiosity, and connection to the natural world. It's one of the few activities that works equally well at age five and age eighty-five. A feeder outside a classroom or bedroom window is one of the simplest and most effective ways to introduce children to nature.
You can learn more about Kids & Birds here.
Does feeding birds actually help them?
It sure does, especially in winter when natural food sources are scarce, and in spring when parent birds are feeding nestlings and need reliable, high-energy food close to home. Premium, filler-free birdseed makes a meaningful difference. Birds know the difference between a feeder worth visiting and one that isn't.
Curious about what birds you could help out and see at your feeder? Meet the birds.
Is birding accessible for people with limited mobility?
Absolutely. Backyard birding and window birding are among the most accessible forms of nature engagement there are. Research has specifically documented benefits for nursing home residents and others with limited mobility. The birds come to you.
What's the best way to attract more birds to my feeder?
Start with seed they actually want to eat! Premium, filler-free seed is the single biggest factor in how many birds visit your feeder and how often they come back. Location matters too: feeders placed near natural cover like shrubs or trees give birds a sense of safety. And consistency matters, birds learn to rely on feeders that are reliably filled.
(our Something for Everyone blend attracts and is loved by all the seed-eating backyard birds, coast to coast, all year long)
Why is peanut-free birdseed important for birding?
For most backyard birders, it isn't a concern. But for households, schools, and community spaces navigating peanut allergies, conventional birdseed presents an unexpected problem: it almost universally contains peanuts or is processed in facilities that do. Peanut-free birdseed makes birding accessible in those environments too. Because the joy of feeding the birds should be available to everyone. Worry and peanut free.
You can learn more about why peanut-free matters here. Want to know why we do what we do? Learn about us.
Are there birding communities for people like me?
Almost certainly yes. Birders tend to be a beautiful, compassionate and inclusive bunch. The birding world has been actively and intentionally building inclusive spaces across every dimension - LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, disabled, senior, youth, feminist, and more. A quick search will almost certainly reveal a community that's made for you.
Here are a few from the Finding Your Flock section above that we've quietly admired over the years - we're not affiliated with any of them, just fans. You'll find your flock.
Birdability works specifically to remove barriers for birders with disabilities, chronic illness, neurodivergence, and other health concerns — including a map of accessible birding locations across North America.
The Feminist Bird Club creates safe spaces for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ birders through chapters across the US, Canada, and beyond — and fundraises for social justice organizations along the way.
The Urban Bird Collective centres BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities in its work.
Black Birders Week celebrates and amplifies Black birders, scientists, and naturalists.
connects youth across North America to regional clubs, mentors, and field trips. It's a place where a kid who loves birds can find their people.
Queer birding groups, senior birding clubs, youth birding programs, school garden societies — the community is there, it's active, and it's looking for people exactly like you.
