Birdwatching is now 'staging a comeback' courtesy of young people says newspaper report

                                                                

BIRDWATCHING was once "mocked as the stuff of anoraks and thermos flasks for men in ill-fitted tweed".

So says an article in last Saturday's edition of The Daily Telegraph newspaper.

However, the report by Lorna Perry, says the hobby  is now  "staging a comeback courtesy of Gen Z".

She says figures from the RSPB show "a remarkable shift", with almost 400,000 young "twitchers" - up 552 per cent from the 61,000 in 2018.

However, given that these numbers are based on posts, many of them frivolous, on TikTok social media, there is perhaps  room for caution in any conclusions to be drawn.

The  report goes on to cite second-year psychology student Ian Hay (19), of Macclesfield, who, as president of the University of Sheffield Birdwatching Society, "leads a merry band  of students - some full-blown bird nerds, others curious beginners - on weekend expedition to parts of the country that feel virtually untouched".

Ian is quoted as describing birdwatching as "the one time you can completely disconnect".

He reckons: "All the stresses of life disappear because you're listening out for birdsong and trying to spot them with your eyes - and it's also brilliant fun."