Birds. They are everywhere. Thankfully. There are over 10,000 to 11,000 recognized bird species in this world of ours. And I love to watch them.
There’s something quietly magical about birdwatching. We can do this alone, in our own quiet spaces. Or we can venture out with groups and explore their world. Those binoculars around our necks. Our pith hats, firmly in place.
Either way, watching those birds asks very little of us. All we have to do is slow down a little. We pause and look up. Listen. Pay attention.
In a world that constantly pulls our attention in a million different directions, birds remind us to lift our eyes, our minds, and our hearts back to the living world we inhabit.
As I mentioned, we can watch birds in our own backyards. It’s a great place to begin. But for those who love to travel, there are places to go where birds are just a little more incredible. According to a recent bird-site analysis, some states offer more of these moments than others.
Here’s what the researchers did. They gathered data on bird presence, species diversity, and the number of designated birding locations. With that information in hand, they ranked all 50 states.
It seems somehow unlikely to me, but Texas takes the top spot. And by a wide margin. Apparently, more than a billion birds pass through the state in both spring and fall. That fact turns it into a kind of continental crossroads.
California came in second. And Florida came in at number three.
I love to think about this. It broadens our perspective. It reminds us how interconnected the states across our country truly are.
If we think about it, a bird we see perched on a wire along our road may have crossed several state borders, flown through many climates, and made a long, hard journey to get there.
In this way, birdwatching becomes something much more. It allows us to witness the connection of our world. It shows us these creatures’ resilience. Their navigation skills.
Birds move forward without maps. They respond to instinct. They don’t rush. They don’t carry extra baggage. They simply go where they are meant to go.
And perhaps, in watching them, we see their good qualities in this. Maybe, in small ways, in our everyday lives, we can remember how to be more like them.
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The top 10 best states for birdwatching are as follows:
1. Texas
2. California
3. Florida
4. Minnesota
5. Virginia
6. Missouri
7. Illinois
8. North Carolina
9. Alaska
10. Arizona
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“The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith.” — J.M. Barrie
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“A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.” — Chinese proverb
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“In order to see birds, it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” — Robert Lynd
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