The stereotype of birdwatching as the preserve of grey-haired men in cargo shorts is becoming obsolete. Across Australia, younger people, including athletes and content creators with massive online followings, are discovering that looking at birds is, well, actually interesting.
Penrith Panthers hooker Mitch Kenny, a 27-year-old three-time premiership winner, has become an unlikely face of the boom. Kenny bought his first pair of binoculars this year after birdwatching with his brother. The fixture now regularly heads into western Sydney's leafy suburbs with binoculars in hand. He has been out on a number of 'bird dates' since he started posting about birds online.
What's driving this? Part of it traces back to COVID-19 lockdowns. Environmentalist César Puechmarin says birds were 'thrown into [people's] orbit' during Australia's COVID-19 lockdowns, as many started noticing birds in their local environments while confined at home. But there's more to it than cabin fever.
Puechmarin suggests the appeal lies in how the hobby mirrors video games: 'You have a generation of people who grew up playing video games or playing games like Pokémon, and this hobby of bird watching fits perfectly.' The key difference: 'It's a never-ending hobby. You can't finish it. You can't complete it ... There will always be more birds.'
Creator Birding with Cob has amassed over 190,000 Instagram followers posting Pokémon-style bird videos, proving the demographic has fully embraced digital connection. The inner-west based Sydney Bird Club recorded one of its largest turnouts in its five-year history in February 2020, describing it as a moment when 'it felt to us like we were on the cusp of a birdwatching boom.'
Bird watching is increasingly popular among younger, tech-savvy generations, and technological advancements in cameras and online sharing boost data on Australia's bird species. Sydney Bird Club's Stephanie Chambers sees it as a 'form of resistance against technology and social media' that allows participants to tap into a world untouched by screens. Yet paradoxically, the online community driving newcomers into the hobby undermines that very resistance.
Kenny says once people get keen on birds, they start to learn which species are under pressure and realise the role they can play in conservation, leading to personal lifestyle changes. Birdwatching trips contribute around $283 million to the Australian economy annually, according to a 2022 report, and the hobby increased tenfold during COVID lockdowns.
The shift reflects a broader global trend. The hobby is no longer niche; it's become a point of connection for people seeking both individual discovery and community. Whether through Pokémon-style collecting on Instagram or quiet dawn walks in Emu Heights, a new generation has found something the algorithm cannot replace: the patience to watch a bird and wait to see what happens next.