Best Bird Binoculars

Bird Watching Tips For Beginners

Whether you’re planning a vacation to go bird watching or you want to make it a regular hobby, birding can be a difficult task to master. Birds can fly practically anywhere in the sky, so how are you supposed to know where to look, when and even what to look for? Bird watching can even be difficult to master for experienced individuals, let alone beginners. Here is a guide that can help you to better understand what’s involved in bird watching as well as some overall tips on how to successfully go bird watching. In this guide, you’ll find out the benefits that come with bird watching along with some tips on what to bring, how to properly bird watch and where to go.

Benefits of Bird Watching

Become closer with nature

Bird watching requires that you spend time outside and in nature. Whether you’re simply sitting on your back porch watching the birds in your area or you’ve traveled somewhere to hike around, you’re experiencing glimpses of nature at its fullest. Not only are you physically spending time within nature, but you also have the ability to create a closer bond with the environment around you. When you’re watching for birds, you’ll notice that you will begin noticing smaller things around you that you wouldn’t have recognized before. You’ll start paying attention to the flowers, trees, leaves, insects and even other animals around you (1).

Keeps you physically active

You can practically watch the birds around you anywhere that you are. Whether you’re browsing the bird species in your backyard or you’re going for a walk through the woods on a trail, bird watching is a great way to give you the exercise you need. For those that engage in bird watching more and more over time, you’ll realize that small walks will turn into hour-long hikes that give you an opportunity for even more exercise. Not only are you getting exercise from physically walking around to see the birds, but consistently holding up binoculars, carrying birdseed and moving other larger branches and debris from your path keeps you moving as well (2).

It doesn’t cost anything

Once you’ve invested in a good pair of binoculars and have a good bird ID guide, you can essentially go bird watching for free. Birds are practically everywhere, so you can either sit on your back porch to watch birds or you can travel to a park near you. If you’re bird watching in certain parks or on some trails, you may have to pay entrance fees to get in. So you’ll want to still abide by the rules, but places that charge a fee to go bird watching are likely the best places for watching them. Furthermore, you’ll also have the costs of traveling, whether that’s paying for gas or on toll roads. But the act of watching birds alone is free, so you can go birding anytime and anywhere (1).

Let’s you explore the world

For those of you that are planning on watching birds around the world, then you have the opportunity to travel to countless different places to experience the world. You can look up certain places either around you or that you can travel to that are specifically made for bird watchers. These places likely have restrictions on the bird species in the area, preventing hunters and other intruders from coming in and removing birds. That being said, you may want to consider searching for places designed specifically for bird watchers to see the species in them. But even if you’re simply hiking or exploring the parks near you or walking around the neighborhood, bird watching gives you a reason to further explore the world around you both near and far (2).

Can be done socially or individually

Lastly, you have the option of choosing either to participate in bird watching alone to enjoy nature independently or you can bring others to see certain bird species together. Watching for birds alone is beneficial because it gives you a chance to disconnect from your everyday pressures and helps you to relax in nature. It’s also great for those of you that want a break from other people since you can simply go outside into your yard and be alone for a while with the birds. On the other hand, bird watching as a social practice is beneficial because you and the others around you have a greater potential to explore the whole environment around you. When you have more sets of eyes and ears, there’s a greater chance that you will be able to spot the rarer bird species in certain locations. Not only that, but bird watching with others can help to make it more exciting if you’re not seeing much around you (3).

Things You’ll Need to Go Bird Watching

Binoculars

The most important thing you’ll need to go bird watching is a high-quality pair of binoculars. They help you to see birds and their physical details that are extremely far away. You can browse the area around you before using the binoculars, but they will help you to better identify the particular species you’re looking at by magnifying the image of that bird. To choose the best binoculars, you should consider a few features about them. They come in a wide range of sizes, shapes and capabilities, so it’s important that you choose the right pair specifically for bird watching purposes. Above all the other features, the most important thing you’ll want to consider is the binoculars’ magnification specification. This is usually represented as two numbers multiplied by each other. For instance, most high-quality bird watching binoculars have a magnification of 10x50. The first number in the sequence determines how magnified the image will be, and the second number refers to the size of the lens. That being said, the larger the numbers that a pair of binoculars has, the bigger and brighter they can make an image appear from further away. You should also think about how much a pair of binoculars weigh. Since most people engage in bird watching for a few hours, you should find a pair of binoculars that are more lightweight and compact (1).

ID Guide

You will also want to find a high-quality bird ID guide for your bird watching adventures. An ID guide will help you to better identify the birds that you see, and they can do so through listing characteristics, pictures and other speculations about common bird species around you. Like binoculars, bird ID guides come in a variety of shapes, sizes, methods as well as information that they contain. For beginners, you’ll want to start out with a simple guide that gives a larger amount of detail and pictures about the most common birds where you’re planning on bird watching. You may even want to consider purchasing a bird ID card if you’re just starting out since the card is lightweight, foldable and waterproof. Bird ID cards are also easy to access since they can be found in most park offices. And they’re extremely affordable. They do only list a limited number of bird species in certain areas, so you may have some difficulty with identifying rarer birds that you see (4). Bird ID guides also range in their ability to organize the types of birds listed in the guide. Cheaper guides that are meant more for those with less experience and knowledge about birds usually organize information on bird species according to their colors. But more expensive guides usually have a wider variety of bird species listed within the guide as well as more detailed information on each species. Lastly, you do have the option of downloading a bird watching app on your phone. Many people simply choose this option because of the convenience of already having your phone and not having to carry a heavy bird book around while you’re walking. Bird guide apps may also offer a wider variety of detailed information on birds and they can even play bird voices for you to better identify them in nature. You may have to pay extra for these more intricate features though (1).

Other Helpful Accessories

Most bird watching only requires that you have binoculars and a bird ID guide, but there are also some other accessories that may be helpful. For one, you may want to bring a backpack with you. Especially if you’re planning on going for longer hikes or walking somewhere that’s not at your house, you should bring a backpack that can help you to carry everything that you have. You may also want to bring a good camera bird watching with you. You never know when you’re going to catch a sighting of a rare bird, so having an easily accessible camera allows you to snap a quick picture of the bird before you lose it. To make a camera easily accessible, you may want to use a camera that hangs around your neck or comes with an easy-to-open pouch. Some avid bird watchers also like to just take pictures of all the birds they see and create a collection of them. This is a great way to keep track of the ones that you have seen already as well as the ones that you still need to find. Some bird ID guides have photo slots that you can use to add photos of each of the birds you’ve caught on camera. But you can also make your own photo album of each of the birds as well.

Best Way to Go Bird Watching

Before you set out on your bird watching adventure, you should first practice using your binoculars and browsing your bird ID guide at home. Go outside and browse the area around you. Get a feel for the binoculars and make yourself comfortable with switching between using the binoculars and looking for certain species in the bird guide. To best engage in bird watching, you’ll want to consider the practical locations to do it, the best times to do it and you’ll also want to consider the seasons.

Locations

Birds are everywhere, even in your backyard and around your neighborhood. So you can essentially go bird watching anywhere. But if you’re trying to sight particular bird species or see birds engage in certain activities, then some locations are better than others. Birds are also constantly moving, so you should consider choosing a place that’s wide open and offers you the best visibility. It can be difficult to try and spot birds moving in between trees and branches, so an open field or less-dense forest may be the best for you. Even more, you should also consider bird watching in locations that have two separate habitats meeting together. Also, birds tend to love water and hangout around streams or ponds, so you may want to start out by looking for a water source (1).

Times

Given that there are different species of birds that engage in different behaviors at various times, you’ll want to think about when a certain species is most active if you’re trying to sight particular ones. Regardless, most bird species are the most active in the very early morning. This is because birds sleep at night and are hungry in the morning, so they set out to find food. Birds tend to be the most vocal in the morning and evening times as well since this is when they’re out and seeking food the most often. Most species are the least active around noon. But there are certain species of birds that prefer nighttime, so you’ll want to consider that if you’re looking for owls or other nocturnal species (1).

Seasons

Lastly, you’ll want to consider which season it is before you go bird watching. Bird engage in migration where they travel South during cooler months and come back when the weather warms back up. That being said, you may only see certain types of birds if you’re bird watching in the winter (4).

Overall Bird Watching Tips for Beginners

Use birdseed and water to lure birds in

As mentioned previously, birds love water and they’re always seeking food. Because of that, you may want to consider setting up a fountain in your backyard or a bird feeder. This will help to attract more birds into your yard that you can identify with your guide and snap pictures of. If you’re not bird watching at home, you can bring black oil sunflower bird seed with you to spread around you and attract the birds into the area you’re watching (3).

Get connected

Whether you subscribe to bird watching blogs, listen to podcasts or join a bird-watching program with other fellow birders, you should get more connected with the bird watching community. You can always learn new tips and tricks about bird watching from those that have been doing it for years. And you can even educate others on some tricks that you’ve learned the more that you bird watch (1).

Be patient and blend in

It may take a while for you to even see any birds when you first start out, but this shouldn’t discourage you. You should sit still and try to blend in with the environment around you. And you’ll want to take in everything within the environment around you. Take notes about types of trees and certain wind patterns or other movements that you witness.

Educate yourself on the 4 keys to identifying birds

To help you more easily identify birds in your environment, you should understand that there are four main aspects to remember about a species. You should look for the bird’s size and shape, color pattern, habitat and behavior. When you first sight a bird, you’ll want to think about its size and the overall shape of its body. You can think of the bird in reference to another common one that you always see and see if it’s larger or smaller than the commonly-reference bird. You should also look for the color patterns on the bird to identify it the best. Look for the bird’s main color as well as any other color marking on its wings, tail or body that can help to more easily identify it. The certain habitat that you’re in also helps to identify some bird species over others because most birds prefer to live in a certain habitat over others. By thinking about the particular habitat you’re in, you can maybe eliminate some species and more effectively identify what you’re looking at. Lastly, you should consider the bird’s behavior and the way that it interacts with its environment. Different species engage in certain behaviors that can set them apart from other species, making them easily identifiable. Look how they perch, how they sing, how they search for food and how they move altogether (3).

Conclusion

Overall, bird watching has the ability to be an addicting and rewarding hobby. It doesn’t cost anything, and you can essentially do it anywhere you want. At home from your house windows, in the car or even while hiking through the park. When first getting started, it can be difficult to get the hang of. But with the right kind of equipment and knowledge, you can effectively explore the types of birds in any particular region you desire. Step outside and begin exploring!