For beginning bird watchers, it is fairly difficult to break in to the hobby. Without the knowledge and experience of an expert, you may find yourself traipsing about in the wilderness without spotting a single bird, or without having the chance to identify any birds before they fly off. The only way to get better is to practice, but for now you may find that joining a bird watching group tour. This is when all of the local bird enthusiasts come together and head out on an expedition. They may stay local, or they may all carpool to a distant location for premium bird watching. The group will be lead by an expert bird watcher, and collectively they can spot quite a few birds.
Many bird watching tours are also organized as competitions to spice up an otherwise non-competitive sport. It may be in the form of a scavenger hunt, which will give the teams checklists of birds they need to spot. If you happen to spot a bird that is more rare and uncommon to the area, you will receive bonus points. These teams are usually fairly small, since large groups have a bigger tendency to scare off birds which could otherwise be spotted. These make for very fun weekend outings, and let you get to know people with the same interests as you.
If you are interested in joining a local bird watching group, you will have to track one down first. You may have to travel a few towns away, but it is likely that your own town will have at least a small group of enthusiastic people. To find them, you can search around on the internet for registered bird watching groups, or ask around to find out about the meeting places. Finding a bird watching group is the most difficult part of joining one. After you have tracked it down, you will find that they are very open and welcoming to new people who have an interest in birds, even if you don’t have any bird watching skills yet.
Overall, joining a bird watching group is a good way to not only meet new friends who are similar to you, but also a good way to gain the skills of an expert bird watcher. Just find a group and join up, then observe their techniques and you will immediately be able to pick up on some more subtle aspects.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Bird Watching Books: A Valuable Resource for Bird Watchers
The most important companion of a bird watcher is not his binoculars. Indeed, a bird watching book can be infinitely more useful than a pair of binoculars. If you find the right bird watching book before you begin to get into bird watching, you will find that it definitely pays off in the end. The ideal book will teach you not only how to recognize local species of birds, but also how to identify basic traits of all birds. You won’t just look at a bird and find the matching picture in the book. You can also pay attention to crucial details about its plumage, habits, and location that will give you hints towards its species.
Within the kingdom of birds, there are many different sub-categorizations that birds can be placed in to. These are based on their feeding habits, their mating habits, their preferred habitat and climate, their behavior in groups, and many other things. If you find a good bird watching book, it should include a list of all bird species with pictures, categorized by all of these things. When you are trying to determine the species of a bird based on hundreds of example pictures, it is very easy to mistake one bird for another. If you know the more detailed things to look for, you will be able to narrow it down and make a more accurate estimation of what kind of bird you are looking at.
For the book itself, you will want to find something that is lightweight, durable, and easy to carry with you. You will be bringing this book on (hopefully) quite a few bird watching expeditions, so you don’t want to be carrying a huge tome along with you. There are many books with full color pictures along with small text and small pages, which combine to make a tiny book that will fit in your pocket. When you encounter a bird or a cluster of birds, you will be able to quickly whip it out and determine what you are looking at.
Your book choice will also depend on your location. You may not be interested in a book that focuses on tropical birds, unless you live in a tropical region. By buying a book that focuses more on your region, you will be able to cut back on the length, and therefore cut back on the size and weight. Just shop around for a while, and get recommendations from other local bird enthusiasts.
Within the kingdom of birds, there are many different sub-categorizations that birds can be placed in to. These are based on their feeding habits, their mating habits, their preferred habitat and climate, their behavior in groups, and many other things. If you find a good bird watching book, it should include a list of all bird species with pictures, categorized by all of these things. When you are trying to determine the species of a bird based on hundreds of example pictures, it is very easy to mistake one bird for another. If you know the more detailed things to look for, you will be able to narrow it down and make a more accurate estimation of what kind of bird you are looking at.
For the book itself, you will want to find something that is lightweight, durable, and easy to carry with you. You will be bringing this book on (hopefully) quite a few bird watching expeditions, so you don’t want to be carrying a huge tome along with you. There are many books with full color pictures along with small text and small pages, which combine to make a tiny book that will fit in your pocket. When you encounter a bird or a cluster of birds, you will be able to quickly whip it out and determine what you are looking at.
Your book choice will also depend on your location. You may not be interested in a book that focuses on tropical birds, unless you live in a tropical region. By buying a book that focuses more on your region, you will be able to cut back on the length, and therefore cut back on the size and weight. Just shop around for a while, and get recommendations from other local bird enthusiasts.
Choosing a Pair of Bird Watching Binoculars
It is possible to do bird watching without binoculars. When you first start, you will probably be looking for the more common local species of birds, and therefore you will be able to get away with not using a pair of binoculars. Your bird book will tell you the main attributes to look for, and you can recognize these from a short range. But once you have already spotted all of the most common birds, you may start to progress as a birdwatcher and look for either birds that are rarer, or more specific subcategories of the birds you have already spotted. If this is the case, you will want to invest in a good pair of bird watching binoculars. There are several things you should look for in a pair.
Firstly, you want bird watching binoculars that are able to survive outdoors with you. This means that they should be easily cleanable, and have lens that are resistant to scratches. It also helps to have some sort of case or cover that you can quickly slip the binoculars into when you are not using them. These should completely cover the lens. In the event that you drop them, you will be glad that you utilized this quicker method of storage. Usually you can purchase some sort of holder along with the binoculars that will attach to your belt, or around your waist.
You also want to look for binoculars with a high enough level of zoom on them for your own purposes. This will ultimately depend on how heavy into bird watching you truly are. If you want to be a hardcore bird watcher and find every species indigenous to your area, then you will want very high quality binoculars with a huge zooming range. But if you are just a casual fan of the pastime, then you may find that the high-end binoculars are a little bit too expensive for your taste. Just look at what is available to you, test out a few different brands and models, and decide on it after a while.
If you aren’t really sure that you will be deeply into the bird watching hobby, then you may not want to invest in very expensive binoculars. Since you will be outside in nature, the chances of ruining the binoculars are higher than normal. Therefore it may be slightly silly to invest a huge amount of money when you aren’t yet sure how dedicated you are. Just keep this in mind when you are buying bird watching binoculars, and you will surely be happy with the result.
Firstly, you want bird watching binoculars that are able to survive outdoors with you. This means that they should be easily cleanable, and have lens that are resistant to scratches. It also helps to have some sort of case or cover that you can quickly slip the binoculars into when you are not using them. These should completely cover the lens. In the event that you drop them, you will be glad that you utilized this quicker method of storage. Usually you can purchase some sort of holder along with the binoculars that will attach to your belt, or around your waist.
You also want to look for binoculars with a high enough level of zoom on them for your own purposes. This will ultimately depend on how heavy into bird watching you truly are. If you want to be a hardcore bird watcher and find every species indigenous to your area, then you will want very high quality binoculars with a huge zooming range. But if you are just a casual fan of the pastime, then you may find that the high-end binoculars are a little bit too expensive for your taste. Just look at what is available to you, test out a few different brands and models, and decide on it after a while.
If you aren’t really sure that you will be deeply into the bird watching hobby, then you may not want to invest in very expensive binoculars. Since you will be outside in nature, the chances of ruining the binoculars are higher than normal. Therefore it may be slightly silly to invest a huge amount of money when you aren’t yet sure how dedicated you are. Just keep this in mind when you are buying bird watching binoculars, and you will surely be happy with the result.
Bird Watching Basics for Those New to the Sport
When you first start looking for birds, you may be quickly disappointed by the variety and frequency of the birds you see. However, there are several techniques and tips used by expert bird watchers, and if you follow a few of them you will be able to have a successful bird watching experience.
First of all, you need to be patient. If you aren’t able to stay still for as much as an hour, then perhaps bird watching is not the hobby for you. If you want to find the biggest variety of birds, you will have to stay still for a long period of time and wait for them to come to you. Since birds have fairly regular habits, you will quickly become accustomed to the comings and goings throughout the day, and get a better idea of when you should head out to look for birds.
Bird watchers are always very kind to nature. After all, it is one of the few hobbies that involve the appreciation of nature. When you are walking through the forest, you may not realize exactly how much damage you can do just by walking. If there are any paths, be sure to stick to them. If you must go off the path, be sure to keep on dirt surfaces, and avoid walking over any plants or foliage.
Another important aspect of bird watching is the approaching of the birds. If you are trampling through the woods very raucously, you won’t encounter many birds. They will all be long gone by the time you get anywhere close. So when you are walking on a bird watching expedition, be as stealthy as possible.
Additionally, you will probably want to keep track of your progress as a birdwatcher by recording all of the species that you encounter. Usually this is done by buying a book of the different species of birds, and keeping tally marks on each of the pages every time you see a certain type of bird.
There is no specific guideline for bird watchers. Your own techniques will vary based on your personality, and you will change your habits as you grow as a bird watcher. Just get started with the basic rules of bird watching, and build your own from there.
First of all, you need to be patient. If you aren’t able to stay still for as much as an hour, then perhaps bird watching is not the hobby for you. If you want to find the biggest variety of birds, you will have to stay still for a long period of time and wait for them to come to you. Since birds have fairly regular habits, you will quickly become accustomed to the comings and goings throughout the day, and get a better idea of when you should head out to look for birds.
Bird watchers are always very kind to nature. After all, it is one of the few hobbies that involve the appreciation of nature. When you are walking through the forest, you may not realize exactly how much damage you can do just by walking. If there are any paths, be sure to stick to them. If you must go off the path, be sure to keep on dirt surfaces, and avoid walking over any plants or foliage.
Another important aspect of bird watching is the approaching of the birds. If you are trampling through the woods very raucously, you won’t encounter many birds. They will all be long gone by the time you get anywhere close. So when you are walking on a bird watching expedition, be as stealthy as possible.
Additionally, you will probably want to keep track of your progress as a birdwatcher by recording all of the species that you encounter. Usually this is done by buying a book of the different species of birds, and keeping tally marks on each of the pages every time you see a certain type of bird.
There is no specific guideline for bird watchers. Your own techniques will vary based on your personality, and you will change your habits as you grow as a bird watcher. Just get started with the basic rules of bird watching, and build your own from there.
Bird Watching: A Fun and Natural Way to Spend Your Time
There are so many things that you can spend your time on nowadays that are not beneficial to you or your health. You can sit and watch TV for hours on end, and just grow larger and remain the same person intellectually. But there are still many hobbies available to the average person which will improve you on all levels. One of these is bird watching. Bird watching is a great hobby that will put you out in nature, and allow you to familiarize yourself with different species of birds, and become a more knowledgeable person in general.
You hardly need anything in order to become a birdwatcher. A pair of binoculars helps, but it is possible to do it with just your naked eyes (although you will probably quickly graduate to having binoculars, in order to identify birds easier). You will also want a simple bird book, especially if you are new to bird watching. These books will help you to recognize and become familiar with the basic categories and species of birds that you can encounter. Once you bird watch for a while, you will start to be able to recognize your local birds based on just a few factors.
You can also use a bird watching book as a sort of checklist for the birds you have seen. When you see a certain species of bird, you can make a little tally mark in the book every time you see that type. It will give you an idea for what birds are the most common and the rarest in your area, and give you a sort of record of your progress as a birdwatcher. This will provide motivation to continue going out every day, in order to find new species that you haven’t encountered in the past.
So if you think that bird watching could be an activity that you would like to get into, then check out some local resources. You may find clubs in your town that meet up, divide into pairs, and go looking for birds. You may find resources that tell you tips based on the local climate and weather. But using libraries, the internet, and the experiences of other people, you will be able to become an expert birdwatcher in no time. All you need is the desire to get out there and see nature.
You hardly need anything in order to become a birdwatcher. A pair of binoculars helps, but it is possible to do it with just your naked eyes (although you will probably quickly graduate to having binoculars, in order to identify birds easier). You will also want a simple bird book, especially if you are new to bird watching. These books will help you to recognize and become familiar with the basic categories and species of birds that you can encounter. Once you bird watch for a while, you will start to be able to recognize your local birds based on just a few factors.
You can also use a bird watching book as a sort of checklist for the birds you have seen. When you see a certain species of bird, you can make a little tally mark in the book every time you see that type. It will give you an idea for what birds are the most common and the rarest in your area, and give you a sort of record of your progress as a birdwatcher. This will provide motivation to continue going out every day, in order to find new species that you haven’t encountered in the past.
So if you think that bird watching could be an activity that you would like to get into, then check out some local resources. You may find clubs in your town that meet up, divide into pairs, and go looking for birds. You may find resources that tell you tips based on the local climate and weather. But using libraries, the internet, and the experiences of other people, you will be able to become an expert birdwatcher in no time. All you need is the desire to get out there and see nature.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)