Bird Watching Tips

Image via Wikipedia

Bird watching is one of the fastest growing outdoor recreational activity.  If you are one of those who are interested in this activity, there are some tips that would make this experience a notch higher. 

For birdwatching newbies, identifying a bird can be challenging.  Birds are active and fast moving animals and you need to spot as many details as possible in a short period of time.  There are some tips that experienced bird watchers do to maximize the short and precious time for viewing.

Once a bird is immediately spotted, maximize every moment of seeing and observing the bird.  Take note of its markings, movements, song, feeding habits and size, you can also start sketching things that catch your eye.  Get the most out of the time that you that specie in front of you.

Birdwatching is more of a auditory activity.  Birds are best identified by their vocalization compared to how they look like.  Listening to a bird’s vocalization is simple but it’s also easy to forget.  When identifying a certain song to a bird, notice the movement of the bill.  This would make sure that the song is indeed coming from that specific bird.

Knowing or estimating the approximate size and shape will give many clues about the bird’s family.  Begin with the bird’s appearance, overall.  Also notice the body shape and the silhouettes. Also notice details in the head and the bill characteristics.    After the head and the bill, notice the bird’s body, wings and tail.  After observing the body, study the bird’s legs.

Observing how the bird walks and how it moves can also determine the specie of the bird.  If possible, try to determine what the bird eats or how it eats.  Also note the habitat, region and climate where you have observed the bird.  You can do this even after the bird has left.  Each region has their own type of bird, depending on their weather condition.  Note of the region where you have observed the bird. Also, birds migrate so make sure that you have taken into consideration the time of the year.  

Make sure to jot down your observation for later reference.  Write down anything that you have noticed, it can help when you later sit down with a field guide to confirm the bird’s species.  

Equipment wise, a pair of good binoculars helps to locate and identify the distant birds.  Bird watchers can watch colored clothing to blend with the surroundings.  Long sleeved cotton shirts, long pants and leech socks help protect you from insects and leeches.  Field boots will keep your feet dry and provide traction on slippery terrain.

When bird watching in parks, there are some that provide shelters, both elevated and  ground level.  These assist bird watchers and photographers alike.   When photographing birds, use long- range lenses and flash equipment.

When bird watching with friends or with family and suddenly you have spotted a rare bird specie, don’t give vague directions.  Be as specific as you can, first use large points of reference, then get more detailed.  Once the person is looking at the right object, use the clock system to pinpoint the direction.  To give the proper directions, you can practice when you’re birding alone. 

  

Bird watching is a recreational activity that is best experienced when you know how to make the best out of it. 

Bird Watching with Kids

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

If you are looking for something fun to do with your family on weekends, but are tired of the usual activities, why not try nature for a change, such as bird watching? Yep, if bringing those kids to the wilderness once in a while means dragging them out off the couch and from television set or their video games should be fine, right? Bird watching with kids might also inspire them to care more for the environment. 

Introduce your kids to bird watching slowly. You can start with the birds that visit your backyard. What you can do is provide some sort of bird feeders to attract some birds and voila, you can have as much fun as you will have in amusement parks or in the movies. Beginning with the local bird species will also help your young ones to get familiar with the different species of American birds. They get to learn the various animals (which incidentally are almost always located in Africa such as lions, elephants, tigers) from television and from school but are unable to identify an American robin. 

To get your quality time dubbed backyard adventure dubbed scientific study rolling, you will have to prepare basically two very important equipments. First, a good bird guide is necessary. You will have to get something that you kids will understand, of course. A simple, highly illustrated, richly colored bird guide will do. You don’t have to be comprehensive. You can settle with books talking about local species and eventually move up to the more all-embracing field guide as your kid’s interest and knowledge grow.

A good guide will also teach children what they should or should not do in different situations like when they find a bird’s nest, bird’s eggs and even newly hatched chicks. Part of the guide’s responsibility is to spur interest on birds and nature, if possible. A challenging job for a guide, but as parents you have a share to that responsibility as well.

The second important thing that you will need would be a good pair of binoculars. You can find binoculars for kids in the market. You might want to think of settling for those kinds so your kid can properly hold them. They might find it difficult to hold the big ones. Another option would be to position the binoculars to focus on the bird feeders and then mount it on a tripod so your kid doesn’t need to hold it. 

Be wary of your clothes as well. Be aware that you would have to wait for some time, if you’re in your backyard, or walk a considerable distance if you’re backyard is a ranch, farm, or forested area, before you a bird sighting. 

But walking, waiting and watching the birds feed and fly away in your backyard is not the only activity that you and you kid can do. You need to engage your kids to other bird related activities to keep them interested. Other activities include making bird feeders, a bird house, or creating a bird journal. 

Bird watching is also a good opportunity to introduce your kid to other skills like photography or illustrating. Bird watching with your kids is a great activity that can be vital to your child’s development. It is an interesting and engaging project that, in my opinion, should be practiced by all parents.