‘You don’t think of protecting something you don’t love’: reconnecting with nature could trigger a wider movement

“The expression on kids’ faces and adults when they hold a bird for the first time, it’s just incredible,” says Bruce Murphy, president of the Ontario Bird Banding Association and director at the Hilliardton Marsh Research and Education Centre. The centre, located in the province’s green northern reaches, about three hours northwest of Sudbury, is an ornithological heaven.

Growing up in Toronto, Murphy had his own “bird-in-the-hand” moment. It came during a Grade 6 field trip to the Toronto Islands.

“When I was there they took us out to do some bird banding,” he recalls. “They put up some nets and caught a chickadee and suddenly something tumbled into place for me. I thought this is what I want to do.”

Putting a bird feeder in your backyard not only helps our feathered friends, but studies show it could improve our state of mind, too.

With COVID-19 keeping everyone penned up and mental health concerns on the upswing, finding ways to ease stress is essential. One way is to reconnect with Mother Nature. The benefits could be long-lasting, especially after the lockdown ends.

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Published in The Pointer Brampton and The Pointer Mississauga on May 6, 2020