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Do you know that WHAS provides an announcement email list?
Receive notices about birding classes, new field trips, changes to classes or events, calls to action on conservation issues, requests for volunteers.
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Researchers have documented that just 5 minutes a day of physical exercise in a pleasant natural environment (urban parks qualify) is beneficial for mental health (in addition to the benefits of exercise in any environment.) Read this article on the benefits of green exercise if you need one more reason to make time and get out into the natural world. If you're looking for inspiration, consider joining WHAS for a volunteer or field trip activity. The researchers encourage folks to self-medicate with outdoor exercise; birding as medicine!
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I stumbled on an article on neurogenesis (growth of new brain cells) that provided a clear example as to how basic research in non-humans can have such a concrete impact on human health. I think it's important to be reminded of such benefits in times of budget cuts and attacks on funding for basic science.
"About 20 years ago, research on the ability of adult songbirds to learn new songs showed that their brains created new cells and that these neurons helped them form memories of the new songs. This opened up debate on whether the same process occurred in humans.
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Watch this youtube video to hear the amazing lyre bird, which mimics the calls of other birds - and chainsaws, car alarms and camera shutters...
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Recent studies have revealed a special survival mechanism for a bird living on the east coast of the US. Now it's called the world's most promiscuous bird. The saltmarsh sparrow, that lives in the marshes of Connecticut, was found to have high levels of multiple mating. The scientists found that 95% of females mated with more than one male during each nesting period. They assume that this unusual behaviour could be a survival mechanism due to coastal flooding. Using DNA analysis and studying the birds mating behaviour in the marsh habitat, the researchers revealed the highly promiscuous activities of the bird. The results were published in the journal The Auk.
Check out this BBC website for more information.