Just a few feet from the trail where I was walking at a nature preserve near Orlando Florida, this needle-nosed water bird known as an anhinga (often called the snake bird) was basking in the sun. Frozen in complete stillness, this adult male had positioned himself at exactly the right angle to catch every bit of sunlight that it could. Unlike many birds that spend time in the water, anhinga feathers do not have a waterproof coating and do get wet when the birds completely submerge themselves underwater to dive for food. As a consequence, when an anhinga emerges from the water, it must dry out before it is able to fly. Not only was the bird pictured here trying to dry it’s waterlogged feathers, but research has shown that anhingas also use the sun as a source of heat, especially after diving in cool water. You can almost see the contentment on this bird’s face – soaking up every possible ray of life-giving sunshine after a swim and a tasty meal.

I can fully relate to this bird. In fact, just before I snapped this picture, I too was sitting on a small bench by the water, enjoying the warm rays beaming down from above. There is something altogether magical about the sun. I suspect that most of us have experienced that unmistakable feeling of the sun on your face on a chilly day, or that tinge of energy one feels when the sun first creeps over the horizon in the early morning. In fables and scriptures across the planet, sunlight is equated with life, hope, and rebirth. 

Unfortunately, in my community not far from the frigid shore of Lake Erie, I don’t get enough of that life-giving force. Vitamin D deficiency is a common ailment in northwestern Pennsylvania, where I currently live. This area of the country has a notable lack of sunshine during many months of the year and that isn’t lost on my body. While as little as twenty minutes of sunlight on your skin a day can support the production of enough vitamin D for the body in that time period, there are many days at a time in this part of the world where sunlight is nowhere to be found. Although there are many positive aspects of living in this region, the lack of sunshine has been one of the most difficult for me to deal with. There are times when I crave it like an enormous piece of cake.

One of the most well-known and well-researched benefits of sunlight exposure is its ability to boost the vitamin D supply in our bodies. Remarkably, over 1,000 different genes have been linked to the active form of the vitamin, genes connected to essentially every tissue in the body, including those that support our immune system. Furthermore, exposure to daylight has been linked to the production of serotonin and melatonin, key regulators of our sleep cycles and mood. 

You don’t have to convince me of the medical benefits of sunshine or the toll that a lack of it can take on the psyche. That’s why I am quite fortunate to be able to periodically escape my sun-deprived home to find places where it exists in abundance. And when I do get the chance to find those precious rays, like this anhinga, I have no shame in spreading my wings wide, siting perfectly still, and turning my face to the sun!