Last year during the pandemic, sales of all things âbirdââ bird feed, bird feeders, nesting boxes, and bird houses â spiked dramatically. This really isnât surprising. We were all stuck at home, deprived of friends, family, and normalcy, while feeling immense stress and anxiety about COVID itself. Putting out feeders and seed, and seeing who comes to partake of the bounty, is fun and engaging in its own right. But research shows that people feel relaxed, and connected to nature, when they watch birds. For millions working and schooling from home, this stress reduction has been an unintended bonus to the basic delight of feeding the birds.