How to Get into Birding
December 18, 2006:
First step, you need to need to identify why you want to start bird watching. There are three different schools of thought on this:
1) You like to collect things. "Listing" is keeping a list of species of birds you've seen and is a very rewarding hobby. A lister generally spends a lot of time at birding hotspots alone or with groups in order to add to his or her list. A lister is mostly interested in identification techniques, because if you can't identify the bird, you can't list it.
2) You like to get out and see nature. This type of bird watcher usually wants to take up birding as an addition to a hobby they have already, such as hiking or camping. A nature birder is more likely to join birding organizations that specialize in nature conservation, like the Audubon Society. Nature birders usually list, but not as seriously as listers.
3) You just want something to do to get you out of the house, or you just like birds in general. This type of birder will only go out with groups and will probably never organize their own outing. They will probably never use a field guide and leave the identification up to the experts. Many spouses of birders from the other two categories fall into this one. These casual birders will probably never keep a list of what they've seen, but will still get excited at seeing colorful or unusual birds while out in the field.
Now that you know how much effort you're going to put into birding, it's time to look at equipment. As with all hobbies, you want to start out cheap and trade up as your excitement for the hobby continues. At the very least, you'll need two things if you'll be birding alone: a pair of binoculars and a field guide.
When you first start out, any cheap $10 pair of binoculars between 7 and 10 times magnification will do. You're probably not going to know where to look for the finer details of the bird to identify it anyway. It's a good idea to practice with these binoculars. Many beginners get frustrated because they can never get the bird into the sights of their binoculars before they fly off. When you get your binoculars, find a spot in the distance, and practice quickly trying to locate and focus on the spot. Then choose another spot and repeat. This practice will alleviate a lot of frustration your first time out.
When you're ready to move up, decent birding binoculars are a little bigger. The general rule of thumb is that you want the objective lens to be 5 times the magnification for optimal clarity. So if you have 10 times magnification, you'll want 50mm lenses (e.g. 10x50), for 7 times magnification, you'll want at least 35mm lenses (7x35), etc. These will be your mid-level binoculars that any amateur birder would be happy using.
When birding has become an obsession that has taken over your life, you're ready to move up to the next level. You'll need an (expensive) pair of binoculars with lenses made specifically for color clarity. You'll also need a spotting scope. The spotting scope will take you up to 60 times magnification so you can see those hard-to-reach ducks and geese in the middle of the lake or a hawk far off on the horizon. But that is years off! For now, most birding groups have at least one person that will bring a scope that everyone can share, if the need arises.
For field guides, you'll want a field guide that uses drawings or paintings of birds instead of photographs. You'll also want one that groups birds by their families (all the woodpeckers together, etc.) instead of by color or region (this is called taxonomic order). Many beginners ask why are photos not good for a field guide? Paintings and drawings are made specifically to accentuate the field markings of birds, so they pop out at you for easier identification. The look of a bird can vary within its own species, so a photograph of one bird may look different from the bird you’re looking at.
Now that you have your equipment, it’s time to start birding! The best place for anyone to start birding is in his or her own backyard! This gives you a familiar place in which you can see common birds. It also gives you a chance to see common birds. You may be thinking to yourself: “Why would I want to see common birds? I want to go out and see the rare Emerald-throated White-rumped Worm-eating Pelican-Warbler!” (not a real bird). The answer is very simple: when you’re out in the field, you will hear and see a lot of birds. If you don’t know how to tune out the common birds, you’ll never know where to look for the uncommon ones. This goes for bird calls, too. When you’re in your backyard, pay close attention to the sounds they make and remember those sounds. That way when you make it out to a distant wildlife refuge somewhere, and you hear that call, you can immediately say “that’s a Blue Jay!,” and move on to the bird call that you’ve never heard before.
And now that you’re comfortable birding in your own neighborhood, it’s time to get out! I’ve found the best place to find birding areas is to go to your local Audubon chapter (find chapters here: http://www.audubon.org/states/index.php). Audubon chapters usually purchase and maintain birding sanctuaries, and you can find out where these sanctuaries are on their websites. State and National parks and refuges (http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/bystate.cfm) are also great places to go, because they are mostly unaffected by urban expansion. A lot of states also have state-wide birding hotspots listed, just Google for “[state] birding hotspots” and see what you come up with.. Audubon chapters usually have field trips to their sanctuaries and other parks and refuges, so contact them for more information.
Happy birding everyone!
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