Birdsong recording from my garden, for relaxation, meditation or just a boost for your mental health - birdsong is good for us!
For my third post in response to the lockdown, I wanted to share the birdsong in my garden with others unable to get out or stuck in an urban space with few birds.
Here it is (if rather later than originally intended!) What better way to share more of my garden with others than recording the birdsong I hear day to day...read on to see how birdsong is good for us!
The lockdown has created extra stresses on top of the usual pressures of modern life.
So, if you’re stuck in town, surrounded by concrete, & unable to get out to the countryside for your usual boost, then this is for you!
Whether you are simply missing walks in the countryside, a frustrated birder unable to practice or share your skills, I hope the song from my garden will give you a soothing few minutes of relaxation.
- YouTubeWhy Bird song?
As most gardeners will know, connecting with the natural world is a great way to boost your mood & recover from the stresses of modern life. Getting close to nature in the garden or on a walk brings us physical benefits by exercising our muscles, which creates serotonin, (a natural feel-good chemical).
What is less well-known is that listening to bird song also helps improve our mental and emotional health, (and therefore our happiness and wellbeing). This isn’t just some cute, fluffy idea but scientifically proven..
The restorative benefits of birdsong
In 2019 Scientists at the University of Surrey studied the “restorative benefits of birdsong”, testing if it really does improve our mood. They discovered that, of all the natural sounds that were investigated, birdsong and calls were those most often cited in helping people recover from stress, allowing them to restore a sense of peace and refocus their attention.
So...birdsong is good for you!
Meditation tip:
This video is a little over 10 minutes, so feel free to press play, close your eyes & welcome to my garden!
Listen to the birds singing, bees humming and feel the warmth of the sun on your face, as you lie back and relax…
UKNG and future videos
I will be sharing more bird song as we go through the year. Over the past weeks I’ve begun to notice the songs change through the day, so I’m keen to learn if the sounds will change with the seasons.
For more birdsong and other visitors to my garden, visit the UK Nature Gifts channel and keep an eye out for the series that I’ll be developing: From my garden…to boost your mood.
Rabbit holes & diversions..
Although the journey from concept to delivery has been littered with diversions & rabbit holes, I’ve learnt a few more skills and I’m happy to finally share this video
My idea was simple but the steps to achieve it less so. Recording the birds was relatively easy (apart from the traffic noises!) but to post a video to my blog, I had to create a YouTube channel, which was a whole new arena for me. More than a few rabbit holes later (and some editing software for that pesky traffic) and we’re finally live..!
I’m grateful to various bloggers and vloggers as I made this journey, for their help and tips to help a complete novice – thank you.
If you are reading this and thinking of starting your own channel, then I recommend https://learn.g2.com/ it has some really helpful guides, thanks guys!
If you hit a snag, as I did with verifying my account, many others have likely had the same problem. Explore forum threads on the subject, where someone may have posted a solution. YouTube help is useful, as are the videos posted to help!