For Heather Beswick, spending time in the great outdoors is the perfect way to keep active and maintain a sense of wellbeing as she ages.
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The 66-year-old volunteer and bird-lover is deeply committed to the conservation of native birdlife, but she says the time she spends in the natural environment is just as beneficial to her as it is to her feathered friends.
"I think just being out in the natural environment, immersed in nature, is one of the best things that people can do," she said.
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"That connection to the natural environment and to wild animals or birds is just so positive for people.
"I'd actively encourage anybody out there to start doing volunteering in the environment. You can do that at any age. Age is no barrier."
As a member of the Midwest Geraldton Birdlife Group, Heather is regularly involved in conducting bird counts, monitoring populations of native birds and educating the public about the plight of endangered species.
She is particularly interested in the conservation of the endangered Carnaby's black cockatoo, having monitored seasonal populations of the migratory birds for the past four years.
Once a week, she drives north-east to the Chapman Valley, where she sits, observes and takes photos of the birds.
These photos are sent to black cockatoo expert Rick Dawson to help map migratory flight paths based on the banding patterns of individual birds, helping to determine the natural habitats that need to be protected for their conservation.
"To be able to do that... makes my heart sing, basically, because I'm doing something positive for them.
"I just love being out in the natural environment, and I think that is a big contributing factor to (motivating me to) keep moving and yeah, get out there and do things."
Heather is currently taking part in a study by researchers from Curtin and Edith Cowan universities exploring the benefits of volunteering in the outdoors for healthy ageing.
She will speak about her experiences during a presentation on growing older outdoors at the Ageing Well Expo, which will be at Perth Exhibition Centre from July 11-12.
Researcher Cathy Martin said interviews with volunteers had shown that volunteering outdoors offers a range of benefits to physical and mental wellbeing.
Some participants said engaging with the outdoors had helped them to deal with other problems in their lives, while others said it helped motivate them to stay physically active.
"There is this incredible sense of connection and purpose that people get from being in the environment," Dr Martin said.
"One of the stories you hear about people ageing is that there can be this real loneliness, but this is one of the areas where we found that people actually speak about being alone in nature in such an incredibly positive way."
The expo will feature more than 100 exhibitors across a number of sectors, including health, retirement living, home care, and financial planning.
There will also be live presentations and demonstrations on a range of topics, including aged care reforms, dementia support, cyber safety and wellbeing.
For more information, visit www.ageingwellexpo.com.au.
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