This is Bird Note.

Birding has many benefits for your well-being.

But Martha Harbison, the vice president of the Feminist Bird Club,

says you should make sure your relationship with birds

isn't just about taking, but about giving back to.

One of the ways that I think that, you know, we talk about birding a lot

is like five ways that the outdoors will help you feel better,

or like five tips on how to see more birds.

The way that it gets framed, and I am guilty of this,

is fundamentally extractive.

It is a long continuum of like, what can nature do for me a person?

And I think a lot of the bad behavior of birders comes from that mindset of

what am I owed?

What does nature owe me? What do birds owe me?

I absolutely do go out and look at birds to help regulate my mental health.

But it has to be in communion with all of the other things that come with being part of a community.

Martha says birding is a two-way street.

You're benefiting from the birds and the places they live,

so you should do your part to care for those birds.

And make sure to keep other birds in mind, too.

It really is twofold. One is you should treat the birds and the habitats that they use with respect.

And you should also treat your fellow birders with respect.

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