Birds and Buffers Go Together

Birders looking at Great Blue Herron nests through a scope

This month, we had an amazing birding event with the South Hero Land Trust & Grand Isle County Natural Resources Conservation District, led by our executive director, Bridget Butler, at Roy Marsh Trail in South Hero. Folks came out with binoculars in hand, eager to spot local feathered friends and soak up some fresh air along the beautiful marshland. From Great Blue Herons to lively Red-winged Blackbirds, the day was full of nature’s chatter.

There’s something about watching birds that brings you back down to earth. As they fly between shrubs and perch along the edges of water, they remind us that nature thrives in diversity. Every bushy shoreline, reedy patch of wetland, and brushy buffer along a stream is a small stronghold of life. It’s in these scrappy edge spaces that birds find cover, food, and the chance to raise the next generation. And it’s not just birds. These same messy, vibrant places help keep soil on the land and out of our lakes, quietly working to reduce the runoff that carries extra nutrients downstream.

When we take the time to plant a native shrub or let the grass grow long at the water’s edge, we’re doing more than just creating bird habitat; we’re stitching back together a landscape that knows how to take care of itself. Some places (like marshes, floodplains, and soggy buffer zones) are meant to flood; they act like nature’s sponge, soaking up extra water and holding onto nutrients before they wash into our lakes. Without these wild, absorbent spaces, we’d see more erosion, more pollution, and fewer safe places for both wildlife and water to breathe. A shoreline full of deep roots holds soil in place. It gives pollinators a home. It slows the rain and filters the water before it ever reaches the lake.

There’s a kind of grace in that. A rhythm. The same rhythm you feel when you slow down on a bird walk and start to notice things again: a flash of wings, the scent of wet earth, the rustle of something wild in the reeds.

So maybe buffers aren’t just about water quality. Maybe they’re about reconnecting. Reconnecting with the land, with each other, and with the deep knowledge that diversity, in all its forms, is what keeps this whole thing going.

In a world where everything seems to move at lightning speed, it’s important to slow down and return to our roots. To the quiet places, the birdsong, the messy edges where life thrives. I was reminded of the song “Sanctuary” by Sam Burchfield, which speaks so beautifully to the need for stillness and the search for personal peace. This weekend, I challenge you to step outside, wander a trail, sit by the water, or simply listen. Let nature show you what it means to be grounded, connected, and part of something bigger. Find what brings you back down to earth and stay there a while.