Top Birding Tips to Improve Your Bird Watching
Watching the Birds is always Great Fun!
Watching birds is fun because birds are fun and it enables you to get outdoors, out of town and see wild birds that you would not see in your yard. Just seeing birds doing what they do everyday is an exiting hobby for anyone who likes to see birds at the bird feeders and bird houses in their yard.
More and more people are now becoming bird watchers and birding will continue to become more popular. More time means more birding time and longer bird watching trips can take place. Also bird watching generates and appreciation for nature, our environment and the fact that we need to protect habitat for the birds.
If you are new to bird watching or birding then it will help you if you have some idea of the best way to approach your new hobby to ensure that when you go out looking for birds you will be successful in seeing some. Putting up a bird feeder in your yard is a good way to start but once your interest increases you will want to go further afield to see more and different birds.
Always Be There At Dawn!
In order to see the greatest number of birds possible an early start is imperative as this when the birds are most active. Wherever your birding trip takes you, you will always have more success early in the morning even if it is in your yard, in a local park or woods or on a beach.
Obviously get a good nights rest during the previous night and get up as early as you can so that you are in position at your bird watching locality before the sun comes up. Yes that early! The reason for starting birding at this time is that the highest numbers of birds are active in the couple of hours right after sunrise. After this time, especially as the sun gets higher in the sky, the number of birds for a birder to see will be less.
No Bright Clothing Allowed!
One of the worst things you can do when birding is to wear bright colored clothing as by doing this you let the birds see you a lot easier and your movements will make them take cover before you even get near and you will not see them.
Try to put on clothing that has a more natural and darker coloring that compliments the color of the birds habitat where you will be birding.
Being camouflaged in the foliage or habitat where the birds are located will mean that you are less easy to detect and therefore pose less of a threat to the birds. Even combat type gear might be appropriate if you are very serious about finding the best birds.
Be Quiet, No Talking And Tread Very Quietly
If you are not quiet when looking for birds you are going to scare them all away before you get anywhere near them. Talking and moving quickly are two of the worst things you can do when birding and will always guarantee low bird sightings and you will never hear the birds even if they are close by.
Whispering is a good idea when near birds and if you want to indicate where you think the birds are you should try and use hand signals to tell you friends, but at no time should you raise an arm to point to where the birds might be, as they will see you do this and will just disappear before you get a chance to see them.
To ensure that the birds do not see your silhouette you should locate yourself behind something big such as a bush or tree trunk because if they detect movement the birds will probably leave the area.
Always Stick to the Trail
Always stick to the trail to avoid disturbing the bird habitat and never go crashing through the undergrowth in pursuit of a bird. In fact never chase or try to flush out a bird as this will disturb the birds and could stress them unnecessarily.
The best approach is to get yourself into a good position and let the birds come to you. This requires more patience but it is an approach that definitely works and you will see many more birds this way.
Do not approach birds too closely especially during the spring and summer breading season and definitely do not go near their nests.
Buy Binoculars Or A Spotting Scope Or Both
It is easy and safer to see birds from a distance and this is why you should invest in a good pair of binoculars and as you get more serious about watching birds you might also want to buy a spotting scope to get the closest views of birds possible.
If you are a lover of nature then bird watching can be extremely enjoyable. It does not have to be expensive and although birding can become a bit of a challenge it always remains great fun.
It is easy to begin by just putting up bird feeders and bird houses for nesting in your yard and get enjoyment from watching the birds as they come and go.
Enjoy Your New Bird Watching Hobby!
Go bird watching as often as you can and you will see many more birds.
