I can guarantee you Hornet has not slammed the throttles around acting like John Wayne. He knows how to fly a nice smooth flight with or without automation. Looking out the window is good when you are traveling at high speeds no matter what vehicle you are in, especially an airplane because they have a tendency to fall when parts fall off because you were on the radio or cell in a car or staring at instruments. Birds don't have TCAS and can put you in rivers. Most of the time they can be seen and avoided but most here will disagree with that statement.
Try flying into the valley at Tegucigalpa, Honduras and not looking out the window. Those turkey buzzards can really fill up a windshield if you don't pay attention.