Bird-watching for Beginners

When I tell someone that I’m into bird watching, they invariably chuckle in response. Why is it so funny that I like to bird watch?  Is it because I’m not gray-haired and retired? Today’s post is all about why, in fact, bird watching is a great hobby for all naturalists, regardless of age. Actually, it’s an awesome thing for couples and young families to do together!  I’ll also be giving you tips on how to get started.

     How many times have you been on a hike through a trail or boardwalk of some sort with the intention of seeing wildlife and, to your and your children’s disappointment, have left feeling that you never really caught a glimpse of anything interesting? Most furry critters are active at dawn and dusk and remain hidden during the hottest parts of the day.  Besides avoiding the heat, most are skittish around people. Case in point, I’ve seen plenty of foxes and skunks on my early morning runs by the beach- but I’m out there before sunrise and am back home and showered by 8am. I’ve seen NOT A ONE at any other time of the day. 

Why it’s fun:

     Unless you’re prepared to schlep your kids out in the dark to a hiking trail, maybe you should try to EXPAND the types of wildlife you are interested in seeing. Heck, even before we had kids, Kevin and I found great joy in finding and being able to name the birds we spotted.  Actually, it’s kind of addictive. Once you start paying attention to all the species in your area, you begin to truly understand Aristotle’s adage that “the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know”.

“You mean to tell me that there is more than one type of woodpecker?  Wait! We have wild PINK birds in Florida that aren’t flamingos at the zoo? There’s a bird that meows like a CAT? Birds have different feathers during different times of the year?”…

Yes, my friends. YES!

Gearing up:

Besides being fun, “birding” is essentially a low-cost/ free hobby to engage in.  Once you buy some basic gear, you’re good to go indefinitely unless you later want to upgrade.  Here are the essentials you’ll need to get started and truly enjoy the experience.

Binoculars

     “Bins”, as we insiders call them, are non-negotiable when birding.  Luckily, they can be found at very affordable prices on Amazon and the like.  You can also get them in various sizes and I highly recommend that if you’re bringing your kiddos along, get them their own pair so that they can participate.  I’ve included a few links below of our favorites.  

Bushnell Falcon 133410 Binoculars with Case (Black, 7×35 mm)

Bushnell Falcon 10×50 Wide Angle Binoculars (Black)

Bushnell H2O Waterproof/Fogproof Compact Roof Prism Binocular (smaller and lighter so ideal for your kids’ little faces)

Field Guides

     So, this may seem antiquated since almost all information known to man-kind can be found on the internet.  The reason I recommend getting a few field guides is because most guides are published by REGION. This filters out the mass amounts of birds you could possibly Google online to just pictures and descriptions of those which you are likely to see in YOUR neck of the woods.  Also, field guides eliminate the need to have good internet access in remote areas where service may be shotty and provide succinct info on birds nesting habits, food, and calls. As for your kids, you want to get them off their electronics anyway, right? That’s the whole point of being outside.  What’s more, learning how to use a reference book and reading in print format is better for internalization anyway. (As a high school English teacher, I had to throw that out there, LOL!) 

     I recommend trying to find used copies of guides before buying them new.  I found all of my field guides at my local library’s adjoining used book store.  They only cost me $2 each, and as a bonus I also found a guide to local wildflowers that will be fun to reference when out and about on our walks as well.     

     If you don’t hit the mother-load like I did, here are links to the guides I use. Just as a reminder, I purchased the Eastern Region versions of these guides but please make sure that you are purchasing the region that corresponds to where YOU live.  They are small and easy to use.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: EASTERN Region

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: WESTERN Region

The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America (I couldn’t find a regional version of this guide, so this one is of all of North America.)

     I also found these field guides geared towards children!  I think they would be handy for beginners and especially fun for children.  

National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America, Second Edition

Backyard Birds (Field Guides for Young Naturalists)

Cameras (optional)

     Lastly, once you get really into birding, you will inevitably want to take pics of your amazing finds.  Phone cameras are great, but the quality of the pictures they take is diminished greatly when zoomed in. To date, all of the pics on this blog have been taken with a Nikon Coolpix P900.  This is a point and shoot that we have set to the “bird mode”, continuous shot setting. We plan on upgrading at some point, but it has served us just fine. The pictures speak for themselves.

     I’ve also included some links to a few relatively inexpensive point and shoot cameras that would be great for children as well.  Olivia is too small just yet, but I will definitely be giving her her own camera when she’s old enough. I’m curious to see the world from her perspective! 

Nikon Coolpix P900

VanTop Junior K5 Kids Camera, 1080P HD Mini Video Camera for Children W/ 32GB Memory Card

Canon PowerShot ELPH 190 Digital Camera w/ 10x Optical Zoom and Image Stabilization – Wi-Fi & NFC Enabled 

Simple as that:

     Well, there you have it, folks.  I hope this article has inspired you to try something new.  I’d love to get feedback on your experiences trying any of my suggestions or perhaps comment with some additional advice you would give first-time birders if you are already a pro!

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