10/27/2026
Professor Elisabeth Kals at Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in Germany is interested in how our relationship with nature shapes our life experiences and wellbeing. She studied what happened when people living in nursing homes had the chance to watch the local bird life.
Those who took part in birdwatching became more cognitively agile, she adds – meaning they were more able to follow a conversation and interact with family who visited, remember and recognise birds that had visited before, and show alertness.
Nursing home staff were the first to see the difference the birds made. "For weeks, they haven't seen a smile on [a resident's] face, and then they see the smile," she says.
Some of the memory and concentration improvements are evident after just three to four weeks, she says.
Her team's findings have prompted German health insurance companies – who, among others, initially funded the research project – to invest in setting up bird feeders and viewing areas in more than 400 nursing homes across Bavaria. "It was so effective, it just economised money," she says.
Even paying attention to birds through a window can have a positive influence
In the US, a similar initiative was set up at four care communities in 2013 in Connecticut, and later in Texas and Colorado.
Why does watching birds have such a positive impact on how we feel and think? For her, it's "not just about birds as such; it is about nature, attention, emotion, meaning, social exchange, and activity coming together in a very simple way. It creates small moments of curiosity – pleasure, anticipation". And, she adds, it is "extremely accessible".
This may be why, in a UK survey of dementia patients and their carers, watching birds and other wildlife was the second most popular outdoor activity after simply walking in nature. The same survey found that challenges with transport and access are big considerations for people with dementia – which may not be such a barrier for those who can see birds from their kitchen window.
Birdwatching can help slow brain ageing and is increasingly being used as therapy for dementia patients.
