Bird watching is a hobby that has been around for years. In fact, bird watching is the second fastest growing hobby in America, second only by gardening. A whole new language has emerged along with it. Those in the know also refer to bird watching simply as “birding” and the people who do it as “birders”. We hope you enjoy this beginners guide to bird watching, presented in four parts.
People of all ages enjoy seeking out the birds of their region, watching them in their natural habitat, and enjoying the songs they have to offer. Birds can be fascinating creatures with much to offer those who care to study their lives. Birding can be done anywhere. You can find all kinds of species in your local park, any forest, and even in your own backyard!
To distinguish among the 900+ species of birds found in the U.S., birders must quickly process a great deal of information on color patterns, call notes, and even the shapes of bills. They have to know what to key in on when they see a strange bird, noting its overall shape, how it moves through a bush or tree, and the shape of its wings.
To the beginning bird watcher, this might seem like an unbelievable task that they might never be able to achieve. Trying to identify even common species can be extremely frustrating, and many people give up before they ever actually begin.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU NEED?
One of the best parts about bird watching is that you don’t need much in the way of tools to do it effectively. You should just start with a good pair of binoculars, a field guide, a notebook, and a camera. Let’s look at each component individually.
Binoculars
You need binoculars to better see the birds. You will soon discover an ironic fact. The best birders have the best binoculars — even though they can identify a bird 100 yards away by its silhouette. Newcomers with a cheap binocular see a fuzzy ball of feathers and don’t have a clue which bird it is. There is an unbelievable difference between a $59 binocular and a $900 binocular.
Binoculars are a birder’s eyes on the world, and they can greatly affect the quality of a bird outing. Good binoculars make for good birding, while bad binoculars can lead to missed birds and severe headaches induced by blurred images, double vision, and eye strain. Binoculars come in many different shapes and forms and carry such descriptions as “roof prism,” “close focus,” 9 “armor coated,” etc. At the outset, you don’t need to spend too much time deciphering this arcane lexicon. If you really get hooked on bird watching, you can learn more about binoculars later and trade in for a better pair. A decent pair of binoculars will run you around $60 depending on where you live.
There are a few simple rules to consider and questions to ask when purchasing your first pair of binoculars.
1. Make sure the power (or magnification) is at least 7-power. The power is the first number given in the numerical notation that describes binoculars. For example, a “7 X 35″ pair of “glasses” will make objects appear as if they are seven times as close as they actually are. Seven-power binoculars are about the minimum needed to see birds well. Binoculars 10-power or stronger can be difficult for some birders to hold steady.
2. Make sure that the second number (“35″ for a “7 X 35″ pair of glasses) is at least five times as large as the power (e.g., “7 X 35,” “8 X 40,” etc.). This second number describes the diameter, in millimeters, of the large lens that faces the object of interest – the “objective” lens. The larger this lens is, the greater the amount of light the binoculars gather and thus the easier it will be to see characteristics in dim light or on a dull-colored bird.
3. Are the binoculars too heavy for you to carry and use for at least two hours straight? Don’t end up with a hunchback because your binoculars act like a yoke.
4. Can you flex the barrels of the binoculars fairly easily? To test to see if they are too flexible, spread the barrels out as far as possible and then hold onto only one of the barrels. Does the free barrel slip or fall from the spread position? It shouldn’t.
5. When held a foot away, do the large objective lenses reflect a bluish or purplish tinge? If they do, the lenses are color-coated. This coating reduces internal glare in the binoculars and increases the amount of light that actually comes to your eyes. Check lenses to make sure the coatings are free of any blotches or scrapes.
6. Can you bring the barrels of the binoculars close enough together so that the image you see merges into a single, clear image within a single, perfect circle? If the image isn’t singular or clear, the binoculars may be out of alignment or the eyepieces may not come close enough together to accommodate your eyes. These two problems may lead to eye strain and severe headaches.
7. Do you wear prescription eyeglasses? If you do, your binoculars should have rubber eye cups that fold back. This allows you to put your eyeglasses up closer to the eyepieces of your binoculars and gives you a much larger field of view.
8. Do the binoculars produce a clear image of an object only 20 feet away? Some binoculars do not focus on objects this close, so you may miss the sparrow or warbler that skulks in a nearby bush.
9. Look at a sign with large lettering. Do the letters close to the edge of the field of view appear as precise and well-formed as the letters in the center of the field of view? Image distortion towards the edge of binoculars is common in bad binoculars – like looking through a fish-eye lens. Look for a pair that has minimal distortion
10. When you focus on a license plate or small sign two blocks away, are the letters and numbers clear? If they’re not, choose a different pair!
A general list of “don’ts” to consider when buying binoculars:
• Don’t buy compact or pocket-sized binoculars (typically 8 x 21, or 10 x 21) as your primary pair for birding. The size and weight are attractive, but no matter how good the optics, compacts provide a lower quality image than mid- or full-size binoculars. Another drawback is that most compacts have a narrow field of view, which makes it very difficult to locate and follow birds.
• Don’t buy zoom binoculars. Expert birders report them as being inferior.
• Don’t seek advice on buying optics from non-birders. Hikers, hunters, and boaters have different needs than birders. Looking at birds is not the same as looking at other wildlife. Pocket binoculars are fine for looking across a savannah at an elephant or a cheetah, but they are not suitable for birding. Marine binoculars provide a sharp, bright image, but are too big and heavy to carry around all day.
• Don’t buy binoculars until you have tried them. Make sure they feel comfortable in your hands. Look through them and be sure you get a clear, unobstructed view. Different models suit different people, and each instrument varies. If ordering by mail or online, make sure that you can exchange them.
One thing about binoculars – you don’t always have to have the best specs for bird watching. Any binoculars are better than none at all. The thing to remember is that you need to have something to magnify the birds you will be looking for. If you are serious about bird watching, take heed of the tips for buying binoculars given above. They will be well worth the money!
Field Guides
What is a field guide? A field guide is a little book that’s packed with information about birds. It’s the next best thing to an expert birder by your side. It describes and shows pictures of the birds, and it tells you which details of each bird to look for. A field guide can tell you what kinds of birds might be in your particular area and give some excellent tips on what to look for in your bird watching. If you don’t have a field guide, you won’t have a clue about what kinds of birds you will be seeing, so this is essential to have. A field guide will generally cost you around $20.
A field guide contains pictures of birds and tips for identifying them. The best book for new birders is the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds or the Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds. When you become familiar with the birds in your area, you will probably want the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. For young birders, we recommend Peterson First Guide: Birds. It describes 188 common and conspicuous birds and it won’t overwhelm you with too many choices.
When purchasing your first guide, it is best to start with one that displays paintings of birds rather than photographs. Paintings allow artists to include all distinguishing features (called “field marks”) that help to identify a bird in each illustration. Often, photographs do not show all these marks due to lighting or positioning of the bird. Photographic guides can be a valuable companion reference, however, especially when studying the details of a bird’s shape.
If you want to become an avid outdoor birder, you’ll want a guide that is easy to carry and flip through quickly. If you are more of a backyard birder, watching local species on your feeders and birdbath, portability is not as important.
There are five essential levels of classification by which all birds are grouped. When we refer to birds of the same “species,” for example a group of 15 blue jays, we are using the most specific level of classification. Similar species are grouped into a “genus,” then different genera (plural of genus) are grouped into a “family,” different families are grouped into an “order” of birds, and finally all orders are grouped into just one “class.” This is the class “Aves,” which in Latin refers to all birds. As you may guess, species in the same genus are more closely related to one another – and look more alike – than species in different genera. Likewise, families grouped in a single order are more similar to one another than families grouped in different orders.
Most field guides covering North America contain about 800-900 species, grouped into over 300 genera, grouped into 74 different families, grouped into just 20 different orders (guides limited to eastern or western North America have about half as many species). The most convenient and logical classification level for the beginning birder to focus on is the family. There are simply too many genera and species out there for a novice to grasp easily, and identification to a particular order is too broad to be challenging. More importantly, by learning the general shape, size, and appearance of the different families of birds, you will develop the powers of observation that
characterize a good birder.
When you first get your field guide, spend time looking at its organization and the way it groups families of birds. Divide your guide into four sections using tags or sticky notes. The first quarter will contain the families of large water birds, the second quarter the large land birds (ending with the woodpeckers), and the last two quarters will contain the small land birds (all in the order “Passeriformes,” commonly called the “passerines” or “perching birds”). Continue to look for common species that you already know and use these as a guide for learning the common characteristics of other species in the family.
Your Notebook
This doesn’t have to be anything fancy. We recommend something smaller than the standard 8 x 11 variety. Carry something that is easy to handle and can be kept on your person without being too intrusive. What do you want to jot down in your notebook? Birds you have seen, where you saw them, what they looked like, what they sounded like, etc. When you record these observations right when you see (and/or hear) them, you will be able to better reflect on your experience later on.
Your Camera
While this is not necessarily considered an essential piece of equipment for bird watching, we think it should be. If you happen across a particularly beautiful species of bird and want to capture it for later study, you could rely on your mind, or you could just snap a picture. Most of the world is going digital these days. With your digital camera, get one that has the maximum pixels selected for the best pictures. Be sure you have a zoom lens so you can get “up close and personal” with your fine
feathered friends. And, by all means, turn off the flash! Nothing can scare away a bird quicker than a flash of light from your camera!
If you have pictures of the birds you see, you can also do more in-depth analysis of the birds once you get home. With pictures, you can delve more deeply into your field guide and document the exact birds you came across in your expedition. And think of the photo album you can create!
Anything Else?
Most experienced bird watchers highly suggest a hat – one that covers your head from the sun and make you less conspicuous. Any old hat will do. Birding is not a fashion contest. But the hat should shade your eyes and not interfere with using your binoculars. A birding vest may be useful, too. You can put your binoculars, your field guide, your pen and notebook, and perhaps some insect repellent in the pockets. Hang the vest near the door, and you’ll be ready to grab it and have everything you need for bird watching at a moment’s notice.
One last note, when birding, you should wear neutral colored clothing, not white. The last thing you want is to scare away normally skittish creatures with brightly colored clothing that calls attention to the fact that you are there watching them!
You’ve got the equipment….now let’s go find some birds!
Bird Watching For Beginners – Part Two
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