Focus on the Details by Slow Birding in the North Shore
October 23, 2024
When you want to get outdoors to retreat from life’s hustle and bustle, Mass Audubon North Shore offers eleven stunning wildlife sanctuaries open to the public. While there, you can wander through forests, meadows, wetlands, or along the Ipswich River to observe the diverse bird species that call these sanctuaries home. After exploring the sites, you may want to learn more about the details of avian life. In our new Slow Birding program, a knowledgeable Birder Naturalist will guide you in a relaxed and contemplative manner to achieve this goal.
What is Slow Birding All About?
Slow Birding is about intentionally slowing down to observe and listen to birds in a particular area without the pressure of “getting to the next bird” or feeling concerned because you might not have any birding experience yet. You can sit and stay in one place or walk slowly and mindfully. Taking each step purposefully slow or sitting still, while making less noise, you will have a better chance of spotting more birds and wildlife. You may even experience the joy of hearing a warbler’s trill or the knocking of a woodpecker as it searches for food.
You might take a camera, notebook, or sketchbook to record your observations. Take the time to capture your experiences by sketching or photographing what you see in the details of a bird’s color and texture when you are not moving quickly.
We will go at a pace that allows for deeper observation, which will appeal to people newer to birding or those who strive to get to know a bird by spending time in an unhurried manner.
Slow Birding’s Added Benefits for Your Well-Being
While outside birdwatching at our beautiful locations, slow birding also offers health benefits such as exercise, exposure to natural light, and a positive impact on your mental well-being. It is a wonderful way of improving your concentration and creativity while enjoying nature’s sights, sounds, and scents.
Start Slow Birding Today
The best part about slow birding? You can start right now! Find a trail at one of Mass Audubon’s 60+ wildlife sanctuaries and take it slower. Listen, look, and experience the world around you—you never know what you may find!