Birding in the Anthropause: birdwatching in Helsinki before, during, and after COVID-19 lockdowns

Abstract The Anthropause following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused a heavy decline in people’s mobility and activities, resulting in differing effects on biodiversity in urban areas. In Finland, outdoor activities were allowed, and consequently, the use of greenspaces increased notably. Here, we studied how recreational birdwatching activities developed during the pandemic in Helsinki. We retrieved data on the number of bird observers from Tiira (a Finnish bird information service), and related this data to the pandemic periods, also considering variables such as temperature and park use. We found the highest numbers of birdwatchers during both lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. Additionally, there were more birdwatchers after all restrictions were lifted in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic times. It is notable that the lockdowns happened simultaneously with the bird Spring migration, a naturally popular time among birdwatchers. Thus, we consider a possible synergistic role of this in people taking the opportunity to go birdwatching more since they had more time during the lockdowns. After all restrictions were lifted in 2022, some birdwatchers continued to dedicate more time for birdwatching due to habit or increased appreciation for the outdoors. The findings highlight the importance and potential of citizen science in observing birds and enabling efficient conservation efforts. Additionally, the results could be used as a proxy for other outdoor activities during the pandemic and combined with other studies on the relations of COVID-19 could help to better understand the complex socio-ecological relationships in urban areas.