It’s not just time-wasting!
By Fleur
@Fleura (34694)
United Kingdom
February 27, 2026 3:12am CST
Ever since I started on this garden birds survey for the British Trust for Ornithology (which was three years ago this week!) I have been obsessively glancing out of the window every few minutes, jumping up with the binoculars if I think I’ve seen something unusual, constantly looking over the shoulder of chatting visitors… it obviously does disrupt my work day and could be considered a waste of time.
But a study published a few days ago has shown that bird-watchers have better cognitive function and a more complex brain structure than control subjects, and could help to limit cognitive decline with ageing. So there you go, I’m not just procrastinating, I’m improving my mental abilities 
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/02/24/bird-watching-improve-brain-health-research/88844038007/
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/02/24/bird-watching-improve-brain-health-research/88844038007/8 people like this
7 responses
@Ineeddentures (31579)
•
28 Feb
I am a good bird watcher.
Honestly,
We have an awful lot of birds in the garden
And they love having a bath in the guttering and they have given me.a few showers over the years.
Now I am struggling to remember what one particular bird is called
Starlings, hundreds of them here, I love watching them
Better cognitive function,
I need that
1 person likes this
@Fleura (34694)
• United Kingdom
1 Mar
@Ineeddentures I like the poem about starlings by Pam Ayers (it's better if you hear her read it, but here goes):
Today's poem is inspired by a morning spent watching the birds in my tiny garden in order to take part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch. T...
1 person likes this
@Ineeddentures (31579)
•
1 Mar
@Fleura
Really
Come and take some of ours
Noisy destructive little buggers
And I get soaked every time I walk around the house to the garden
They love the guttering on the roof
My neighbour started feeding them on her veranda a few years ago when some were nesting under her roof
Now there are literally hundreds
Hope she doesn't feed them this year
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (173656)
• United States
27 Feb
Are you considered a professional/expert bird-watcher or a novice? I also see that the report states "how decades of expertise reshape the brain to support expert performance throughout adulthood". 
I DID like the concluding paragraph's conclusion for your brain health, though. "While bird-watching does not definitively halt cognitive decline, the study shows that bird-watching and similar hobbies may boost overall brain health."
So, all in all, it's a good activity to engage in as long as the people around you don't get discouraged by you "constantly looking over the shoulders of chatting visitors" instead of paying attention to the conversation.
I DID like the concluding paragraph's conclusion for your brain health, though. "While bird-watching does not definitively halt cognitive decline, the study shows that bird-watching and similar hobbies may boost overall brain health."
So, all in all, it's a good activity to engage in as long as the people around you don't get discouraged by you "constantly looking over the shoulders of chatting visitors" instead of paying attention to the conversation. 1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (220739)
• United States
27 Feb
That sounds like a very worthwhile pastime. Keep it up!
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
1 Mar
Good to know! I have a bird feeder and watch often while doing stuff on my computer. So, I'm actually multitasking my brain, lol.
1 person likes this
