How to be a Birder part 10
Hint # 10 Go on excursions
As you get a taste for birding you will want to broaden your birding experiences. Birding in your own backyard can get a little limiting at times. You will desire to see more birds, and different kinds of birds. You will see pictures of birds in books and field guides that you simply must get to see in the wild.
Go on an excursion.
This can be as simple as taking a walk down the street, or to the nearest park or public garden. Chances are that you will begin to see a few new birds. Go for a drive to the nearest botanic gardens or national park. Seek out the nearest lake, dam, reservoir, beach, river or river estuary, all potential birding spots.
Plan a picnic, day trip or short holiday further a field. Study the maps and tourist brochures for the planned destination, looking for potential birding spots. In Australia, many tourist pamphlets list good birding spots. Tourism operators and promoters are quickly becoming aware of the huge economic potential of the birding community. This is probably true of Europe and America as well. This trend is also being tapped into in Asian countries and African tourism has been aware of this for some time.
Join a bird watching club or organisation in your area. These groups regularly organise excursions into good birding spots. Sometimes the leaders arrange access to private properties or places where the public rarely gets to visit.
So, if the birds won’t come to you, you need to go to them.
I invite readers to comment below on their favourite birding spots. Where do you find plenty of birds to watch?
For more hints on how to be a birder click here.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
What’s that bird doing?
While travelling home from Clare in the mid-north of South Australia recently I was surprised by a sudden movement by a small raptor. As I was travelling at about 90kph at the time it was hard to stop and photograph the Nankeen Kestrel.
The kestrel dived from above the car as I travelled along. It plummeted rapidly across my line of vision into the grass on the verge of the road. What it was attempting to capture I could only imagine. Perhaps it was a mouse or a lizard sunning itself. Or even a beetle or some other insect that would make a small delicacy for the kite, such as a grasshopper.
I suspect it was probably a mouse of some description. Both Nankeen Kestrels and Black Shouldered Kites are regularly encountered along the highways in this area at present. They are two of our quite common, small Australian raptors present throughout most of the country. In the 180 kilometre drive from home in Murray Bridge to my daughter’s place in Clare it is not unusual to see ten or more of each species, far more common than any other species of raptor.
How to be a Birder part 9
Hint # 9 Join a Bird Club
Joining a group of people with similar interests is an excellent way of developing one’s skills and knowledge base. Every state of Australia has a major birding organisation and some of the larger regional centres also have birding groups. There are birding organisations in many countries of the world, so no matter where you are, in is worth seeking out a local group of like minded people. If there isn’t one, consider starting one. You don’t have to be an expert or have any experienced birders as members to start a group. Learn together. Find out where the experienced people are and invite them to your meetings.
Another benefit of joining a birding group is that you will receive their newsletters. These give details of upcoming meetings, speakers and their topics. They will often have articles pertinent to birders, reviews of books and DVDs about birds and even details of coming excursions and places worth visiting.
And clubs are always a great place to meet new people and make new friends.
To read more about how to be a birder, click here.
Black Swan, Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
How to be a Birder part 8
Hint # 8 Recording Your Bird Sightings
Writing down lists of what you see in the field can lead to more detailed records for your own pleasure. I’m really into lists; it’s an obsessive compulsive thing that my wife tolerates with some amusement.
Birding can lend itself to the following lists:
- A Life List: the total list of birds you have ever seen
- A Year List: a list of birds seen this year (or any other year)
- A Month List: birds seen this month (and every other month of the year)
- A Week List: birds seen this week.
- A Day List: birds seen today.
- A Home List: birds seen around your home and garden.
- A District List: those birds seen within a certain distance from home (eg 5 kilometres radius)
- A State List: birds seen in your home state or territory.
- A Country List: all the birds you’ve seen in your home country (and for every other country you have ever visited or lived in)
- A Television Bird List: a list of birds seen on television programmes
- A Film Bird List: ditto – but on films.
- An Office Window List: birds seen from your office window.
- A Train/Bus Bird List: birds seen from the train or bus while on the way to work.
- A Holiday List: birds seen while on a holiday.
- A Porch List: birds seen while sitting on your front (or back) porch.
- A Church Bird List: this may seem bizarre but I have actually made a list of birds seen while sitting in church! Go figure.
All this does is illustrate how flexible this hobby called birding really is; you make it your hobby and pursue it your way, with what interests you. Of course, you may hate making lists, so don’t go down that path at all. Just enjoy the birds.
For more articles and hints on how to be a birder, click here.
If you have any hints of your own, things that help you in your birding, add them in the comments section below.
Zebra Finch
Blue Billed Duck
No Comments »10th August, 2006; Category: Ducks Geese and Swans
Blue Billed Duck
On a recent visit to one of my favourite birding spots I saw about fifty Blue Billed Ducks. This is not a species I have seen very often in my birding life. Quite a delightful species and I was fortunate to be able to get close enough for a reasonable photo. They can be a somewhat timid species – in my limited knowledge of them that is.
The sighting was at Lake Inchiquin in Clare in the mid-north district of South Australia. Look at My Favourite Birding Spots for more about this lovely spot.
For more of my writings about different species of ducks click here.