Why you should pay more attention to birds

watch the birds it takes us out of self-absorption, gives wings to our hearts and brings a breath of fresh air into our lives. For that it is not necessary to be an ornithologist, nor to know the name of that bird that moves us with its delicate presence or its joyful song. Just be able to look and feel.

Birds have fascinated man since he began to take his first steps on the planet. Our ancestors, who left the trees to live at ground level, were capable of climbing mountains, diving into water, crossing seas. The birds too… and they could fly wherever their instinct or desire moved them.

Perhaps that is why birds incarnate for the human being the bond that unites the earth and the sky; shows that it is feasible to reconcile the demands of material life with the desire to fly, to reach dreams, to rise to a point from which to serenely observe our place in the world. In multiple cultures, birds have thus represented a spiritual dimension of life.

A privileged perspective

The sensation is familiar and even familiar, but no less evocative and fascinating for that: see a bird flyfollow it with our eyes and observe how it recedes beyond the reach of sight, with a leisurely flutter, until it disappears forever from sight and possibly from our lives.

This situation can fill us with a simple well-being. And it is not uncommon for those who observe the birds, between amazement and admiration, to do so with a feeling of happiness, but also of deep introspection. Birds are a symbol of wisdom. Like them, perhaps we can ascend to a level where we can transcend the mundane and gain an ineffable vision of our existence, for example. through the flight of relaxation wave meditation.

Connection with the soul and life

Only recently have we begun to understand these animals in detail, and it is perhaps their mysterious and elusive character that seduces us and makes our imaginations flutter. Until recently, the how and why of the bird migrationsof what their presence and behavior could mean.

So much Homer as Ovid they make extensive use of birds as symbols. In ancient Rome, the augurs observed the birds (hence the word auspice: auspex is “he who watches the birds”) and interpreted the celestial signs that they could transmit.

The bird is the symbol of the soul for many civilizations along the history. The soul flies in search of spiritual ecstasy, to meet the divine, from Saint John of the Cross in Castilian mystical literature to the Persian symbolism of Farid al-Din Attar in his well-known work the language of birds.

meetings and farewells

Urban life often leads to losing connection with the world around us, with the seasons or the subtle details provided by the nature: the messages of life. in our environment the swift is the celestial messenger of spring. Not even the richest person in the world could afford a sky full of swifts in winter…

Observing it above our heads, both in towns and cities, encourages a feeling of tranquility and of security: the swifts are here, it’s spring, everything is in order. Months later they will leave, when the summer comes to an end, in the same way that throughout life the moments of meetings and farewells arrive, in an inescapable and safe way.

This little bird situates us within our existence more than any calendar, it marks the passage of time with its presence like a metronome. It is worth letting yourself be hypnotized by its zigzagging flight and become aware that they won’t be there foreverin the same way that our loved ones or the things we love deeply or with a superficial affection are not immutable and eternal. Birds are not like life, birds are life itself.

Peace, music and calm

It is still curious that for years it has been recorded and marketed the song of the birds. It is not in vain that we try to capture the ephemeral pleasure of its melodies, since the song of the birds, within its almost infinite variety, is capable of causing us astonishment and seducing us by its beauty in the same way that a piece of classical music does. or a painting.

But it is also capable of bringing us calm and peace. Sitting in a park we listen to the simple chip-chip of a sparrow, or the elaborate song of a goldfinch or the distant claim of some cranes flying in formation These sounds share the power of abstraction of waves or the crackling of fire.

wings for the brain

The bird watchingeven for sheer pleasure, often involves memorizing and learning new facts, such as names and names. bird customs, their shapes, colors, songs and habits. This constitutes great exercise for the mindIt can even become a very beneficial game and pastime, especially for the elderly.

As prevention for Alzheimer’s It is recommended to stimulate mental activity. Practicing identification, trying to guess if a specimen is male or female, or playing counting the different species, whether on the balcony or on a trip to the mountains, encourages you to open a book, to face small affordable and everyday challenges.

travel without border

The greatness of birds is that they have colonized the sky, the ethereal medium of ideas, the kingdom of the soul and feelings. Their mastery of flight and their migrations dwarf us. He arctic tern travels every year from the arctic ocean to antarcticafrom one pole to the other of the planet.

Throughout his life this modest bird will have covered the equivalent of three round trips to the Moon. Feats of this nature make us value our achievements, personal or collective, in a different way. But you don’t have to go far to marvel at the birds.

Sitting in a park one can watch the flight of a flock of starlings. Do they have a collective spirit that allows them to move as a single being? Do they have some keen instinct or telepathic power? Its rhythmic flight is capable of leaving us pensive with an open question mark, in a receptive attitude.

There are many mysteries that the life of birds contains, and in many cases their observation can help us in our personal search.

The responsibility of the nest

Something amazing for mammals like us, committed to raising our progeny, is the excessive love and care that many birds profess for their young. In many cases the annual effort includes the building a new nest, the permanent transmission of heat and protection when hatching the eggs, nutrition during a long stage and even flight and hunting lessons. It is a spectacle that has always been before our eyes.

The greatness of birds is that they have colonized the sky, the ethereal medium of ideas, the kingdom of the soul and feelings.

Stop and observe, that is the key. Going out for a walk in the park, in a nearby forest or visiting a national park, with its jewels of nature, connects us with the splendor of life in general and with our own essence in particular. The effects of contact with nature on the well-being of the person are well known. AND bird watching is freeit can be done everywhere and at any time of the year.

Learn to fly

the majestic albatross it is the largest bird on the planet; Between its outstretched wingtips there can be twelve feet of bone, muscle, and plumage. this imposing bird reaches ten kilos in weight and yet it can fly for thousands of kilometers with little effort, due to the efficient design of its wings, a fact that continues to fascinate ornithologists and aeronautical engineers alike.

However, this emperor of the air, just like each one of us, need to take flight, you need to take off. When he is on land he has to face the greatest challenge, the one that will consume most of his forces, a trance in which he has to put all his will and effort. Like people, you may not get it the first time.

The inspiration that the great albatross provides us is the same that a goldfinch can transmit. Consists in overcome the fear of flying; it’s about stretching your wings once, flapping them, harnessing the currents… and ascending.

These are some lessons that birds give us, the old messengers, who serve as a bridge between the earthly and the heavenly. Their plumages of exquisite beauty, its enigmatic chants and his flutter rhythmic music invite us to raise our eyes to the sky and gain perspective through slow observation and attention. Their presence can go unnoticed or help us, almost without knowing it, to cultivate well-being and calm.