How to be a Birder part 17
Hint # 17 Read books about birds
Birds have had many thousands of books and magazines dedicated to their identification, study and beauty. Most birders end up having at least several field guides. Many birders subscribe to a range of birding or natural history magazines and newsletters. A few dedicated birders have large libraries of bird books. There are even specialist bookshops dedicated to bird books, or at least to books about natural history.
Books and magazines are an excellent way to educate yourself about the life of birds, their characteristics, identification and distribution. The vast majority of books are broad in their scope. Some are dedicated to the birds of a region or a particular country. Others may confine their coverage to a particular region within a country like the birds of South Australia, for example. Still others confine their attention to a specific family of birds like owls, gulls or honeyeaters. Some authors have restricted themselves to just one species for the entire publication. I have in my collection a book published many years ago on the life of the Mallee Fowl, a threatened species present near where I live.
Build up your collection of bird books and magazines over a period of several years as your budget allows. They will, I am sure, bring countless hours of pleasure over many decades. If your budget is very limited, try second-hand bookshops, garage sales and stalls at markets and fetes and even eBay. Don’t forget your local library either. Our library even has a few excellent videos and DVDs about birds.
Links:
Updated November 2013.
Australian Magpie
How to be a Birder part 16
Hint # 16 Collect Birds on Stamps
In another life I collected stamps. I mainly specialised in Australian stamps but started a collection of birds on stamps when my interest in birds started to develop. I never went very far with this off-shoot. I always said that I would take up stamp collecting again when I retired from teaching. Two years ago a retired from teaching and now I am busier than ever. No time for philately.
At the moment it is not for me, but there are literally thousands, perhaps millions of people who collect birds on stamps. It seems that every stamp issuing country has produced at least one set of birds on stamps. Some seem to issue a set every few months. I guess that there are many thousands of birds featured on the stamps of the world. It is a collection that would never be complete, with new issues every few days somewhere or other.
This is a hobby where you could specialise, seeing the field is so broad. For example, I had intended making a collection of the stamps featuring only birds of Wallacea. This is the area south-east of Wallace’s line, including Indonesia, Papua New-Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and some of the Pacific Islands. Wallace was a nineteenth century naturalist. Many birds endemic to this faunal zone have been featured on stamps from outside this area, especially some European countries.
Wallacea is divided from Sundaland, the other hotspot found in Indonesia, by Wallace’s Line, which separates the Indo-Malayan and Australasian biogeographic realms. The line and the hotspot are both named for the 19th century English explorer and naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who identified the distinctiveness of faunas on either side of the line.
Whatever format your stamp collecting interests are or become, this is an excellent way to further develop your knowledge of the wonderful creatures we share this world with, and your appreciation of their beauty will increase.
To read more hints on how to be a birder click here.
Rainbow Lorikeet
Some links with birds on stamps:
- Australian Bird Stamps (Sorry – this link no longer exists)
Updated November 2013.
How to be a Birder part 15
Hint #15 Use a birding database on your computer
Most birders have traditionally kept extensive diaries or notebooks of their birding observations. There is nothing wrong with this approach. It is cheap – a notebook costs only a few dollars – and it creates a permanent record. This is necessary, because if you are anything like me, your memory may be fine – up to a point. Actually, I suspect it’s my forgettery that is at fault. Or perhaps my memory bank is full. Whatever.
I still keep extensive records in little notebooks in the field. I buy the type that fits easily into my shirt pocket. That way it is in easy reach and I always know where it is. Find whatever system works for you.
Back at home base I then transfer these notes to my computer. I use a database dedicated to birding called BirdInfo developed by Canberra birder Simon Bennett in the early 1990s. This database has gone through many versions and is ideal for my needs. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone wanting to go down this path. There are available, however, many other databases dedicated to birding. Search on the internet or look in birding magazines. If you are a computer whiz and have the time, you could develop your own specialised database using something like Microsoft Windows Excel or Access.
BirdInfo enables me to record all my observations in an easy to use and retrieve format. Each observation takes only several key strokes. I can record the date, the place, the map coordinates, the species name, number, breeding and several other fields as well.
Retrieving data is just as easy with many different reports easily generated. For example, in seconds I can search and find a list of birds I saw in my garden in 1988. I can just as easily find the record of the first time I saw a Yellow Billed Spoonbill, or how many times I have seen a Mallee Fowl, and where, and how many. This is just a few of the examples of many uses I find for the database.
Entering many years of records from notebooks and diaries into a computer database can be a very daunting task taking many hours of typing. It is not for everyone. Think carefully how you are going to use it before launching out. I find it very interesting and useful. Some might find it burdensome and pointless.
It’s your hobby, so pursue it in your own way.
To read more hints about how to be a birder click here.
For information about BirdInfo for Windows click here.
Rainbow Lorikeet
How to be a Birder part 14
Hint # 14 Use a camera
With the advent of cheap, easy to use digital cameras with great zoom facilities, bird photography has become accessible to everyone. One doesn’t need to buy big, expensive telephoto lenses to get great shots of birds. An added bonus is that you don’t have to lug around a wheel barrow load of camera equipment, lenses, tripod, flash units and other assorted gear. If that turns you on, fine. Go ahead and ruin your back. Only joking. If you want to go down the professional photographer path you probably will need a truck load of gear, but for the ordinary birder, the modern digital camera means light, compact, ease of use and great results.
When I purchased a new digital camera in the middle of 2005 I rediscovered my interest in photography. Many years ago, over 30 years ago in fact, I bought a cheap SLR. I even got to the point of developing my own slide photos. I couldn’t really afford too many extras like expensive telephoto lens, and gradually the interest waned. The digital age has reignited a passion for photography.
I bought a Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera with a 12x zoom facility. Now this was something of compromise. I bought it especially for the trek in the Everest region I did last January (read my travel blog for details of my adventures). I wanted a powerful camera with plenty of zoom but it had to be compact. I didn’t want to carry a great deal of heavy equipment, and the Canon, while something of a compromise, was ideal.
It has proved to be amazingly adept as a great camera for bird photography. It is easy to carry, even with binoculars around my neck. I have a loop tied in the strap so that it fits over my wrist and just dangles from there when not in use. This way it doesn’t bang against my binoculars. Nor does it interfere with viewing a bird using the binoculars. It is simple and quick to use and the 12x zoom facility is brilliant.
UPDATE: The model of camera I write about above has been through a series of different models and seems to be no longer available. Several new series of models have replaced it, and prices have dropped in recent years. Check out your favourite camera shop.
Updated November 2013.
Silver Gull
How to be a Birder part 13
Hint # 13 Read birding blogs
You are reading this on my birding blog. Thanks for reading my little attempt at helping people like you learn more about birds and become keen birders yourself. Over the years watching birds has given me countless hours of pleasure, entertainment and relaxation. In the last few years many birders have started sharing their birding experiences by means of their blogs, like I have.
I would strongly encourage you to seek out some of these blogs and read them. Those with photo galleries are particularly interesting. This is an excellent way of learning more about the creatures we love, the birds. The photo galleries are also a great way to get to know the birds of other countries, all for the cost of your internet connection. Far cheaper than flying all over the world looking for them. Not that it ever substitutes for seeing the real bird out in the field. But then, many people cannot afford to go on expensive birding trips to exotic places.
Some birding blogs I really enjoy are listed below. This is a mere handful of sites. On each blog, look for the links section and their blog roll, or list of blogs they enjoy. This will lead you to sites that they enjoy. But just be warned: reading birding blogs can be addictive. And don’t forget to return to mine!
Birding Blogs I Like:
To find out more hints about how to be a birder click here.
To view my photo gallery click here.
Silver Gull