by Bird watching is an incredible hobby that everyone loves. It brings you closer to nature and increases your consciousness about the world around you. Getting into bird watching proves to be a bit intimidating for a lot of people because they believe you need to have a degree in ornithology to start. That is a myth – anybody with a passion can get started and at any point in their lives. Birders (people who engage in bird watching) do not engage in this hobby for monetary gains, that would defeat the purpose of the activity.
How do I start bird-watching?
Having an interest is one thing, another thing is knowing where to begin. The amazing thing about Bird watching is that you can start wherever you are. Because birds are literally everywhere, all you have to do is to stay calm and notice the ones in your immediate environment.
How do I find birds?
Finding birds might prove a little bit difficult for a beginner but there are certain steps you can take to improve your chances. One of the best routes to take is making the birds come to you by setting up a bird feeder.
Setting up a bird feeder is not very expensive, you can easily fill it with small seeds and fruit bits since that is what a majority of birds eat them. However, be warned if you want to go down this path you have to be consistent, once the birds in area notice that this is where they can find food they are sure to come searching daily. If you plan to discontinue the suggested time would be around summer or fall when there are more natural food sources available. This style of bird watching is technically referred to as backyard bird watching.
Alternatively, you can go outside and check out places that are popular locations for the bird population such as parks and wooden areas.
What Do I need for Bird Watching?
You only need your eyes but if you want to really identify birds to the littlest details, then a pair of binoculars is advisable. These binoculars will allow you to see birds on treetops, birds in motion, and every feather shift.
Notebook and a pen: it is a good practice to have writing materials with you because you will be able to jot down your experience as they happen, especially considering how malleable the human memory is.
Bird guides : when bird watching it is possible to come across an unknown bird, you can simply check your bird guides to find out the name. Often better to focus on the watching first and then do the checking later, so as to not ruin the experience but this is a matter of personal style.
Clothing : as a bird watcher you want to be inconspicuous as possible, so wearing bright colors is not advisable – bright colors can scare birds away, so it is better to choose darker colors. Another rule is choosing clothing that makes less noise, such as nylon jackets. Wear face caps to shade your eye from the sun and also consider the habitat and prepare accordingly.
Keyways of bird watching
Being a birder means you have to act like a detective and not just any detective but one that is trying to solve a case. When trying to play detective you have to gather clues and evidence – in bird watching, they are called field marks.
What is a field mark
Field mark is a term used to describe something particular about a species of bird. It helps in identifying a particular bird and putting a name to it. Generally, there a different types of field marks but the first that comes to mind is color for obvious reasons (sight is usually our go sense for description). Depending on difficult to identify the bird species one or more field marks might be used.
Some field marks include;
Colour – birds such as crows are completely black, while others have some conspicuous colors.
Shape – describing the body structure of birds is very important
Size – knowing how big the bird is. E.g. Small ones like Sparrows or Huge ones such as eagles and hawks are important in knowing a bird.
Behavior – More bird watching will make you realize that birds have different behaviors and can be differentiated through the means. Some birds like to sing a special song, while some might have crucial eating patterns.
Joining a Bird watching Community.
A great way to get a head start into becoming a birder is by joining a bird-watching group. You could join your local group but these days with the help of technology such as social media, you could join a bigger community. You can share your experience there, ask questions, and reply to questions after you have gained enough experience yourself.
To end, it is important to note that bird watching is all about fun – bird watchers are not ornithologists they usually don’t do it for the money. Getting interested in birds will make you conscious of your environment. Most especially how human activity affects it.
Benefits of Bird Watching
Surely, nobody would participate in a hobby that has no benefits but speaking about benefits. Bird watching has more than enough to go round. They include:
- Getting closer to nature: As cited in this article, getting closer to nature is perhaps bird-watching greatest gift. To understand how the ecosystem in which you are part of is simply a blessing.
- Improves Physical and Cardio Health: While this may come as a shock, it is 100% true. As a birder you are likely to move around, in fact, you would walk miles and navigate through different terrains to meet your goals – because bird nests are not usually found in the easiest of places. Also, you might have to carry semi-heavy equipment, all of these contribute to one’s physical and cardio health. But be careful and do it moderation.
- Reduced Stress Levels: The goal of every hobby is to keep the troubles of the world away, likewise bird watching. Engaging in bird watching would ensure that you reach zen levels of chill.
- Excuse to Travel: Birders are one of the best travelers and a hobby that gives them an excuse to do so, is fantastic! You get to experience new countries and regions while engaging in what you love.
- Mindfulness and Meditation: Staying quiet in a single position, stalking a bird can be a good avenue to meditate and soak up all the nature around you. It is always a great opportunity for birders to feed channel into the earth’s energy – this comes with a great deal of understanding and patience.
- Community: As mentioned earlier the community of birders is ever-growing and this serves as a great chance to go on an adventure with a group of like-minded people. Moving solo is great but there is nothing like having a wide range of people from different works of life with you.
Some facts about Bird-watching
- It is okay to not want to be in a birding community and fly solo.
- It is okay to not have any goals in mind other going to your local woods to see birds. Alternatively, if you decide to make goals, do not overreach, and make sure whatever you choose remains fun. Goals such as I will see more species of birds this month or I will write more about the bird I saw last month.
- It is would be difficult to see every specie of bird, some you would just have to make do with pictures and videos offline and online.
- You can study only a particular specie of bird and this does not make you less of a birder. Similarly, you can study a wide range of birds and still very much be a birder.
- As you get better at bird watching, you begin to understand the behaviors of different birds, types of birds, bird watching terminologies, offer advice to new birders, and much more.
- Practice makes perfect.
