Wild Bird Identification Tips

Do you just so happen to be an expert in wild bird identification? No, well we weren’t either, until we realized what a great hobby it was. We enjoy seeing those new wild birds that we have never saw before, taking those lovely bird trips to get more in touch with natural and of course, we enjoy practicing our bird identification skills. For us, bird watching is about the beauty of nature as well as the fun of the hunt. Not the hunt to kill them, the hunt to take pictures of them and see birds that we have never saw before.

Are you new to bird watching? Do you know where the best place to start classifying those birds would be? Your very own back yard, right at the bird feeders you put up. We assume you know what a Blue Jay looks like or an American Robin. You probably learned the names of those birds as well as many others because you saw them often, even as a little child. Knowing the names of a couple of birds in your area is a good place to start.

Why is wild bird identification so important? Because it will make it easier to learn about them from reference books. If you are keeping a list of the wild birds you saw, then it will also be more helpful to know the names of them. You may even want to brag to your friends about the rare birds that visited your area. The latest addition to our list is the Northern Shrike, that is definitely a bird that is worth bragging about.

By knowing the names of the wild birds that are visiting your feeders, this will help you be able to learn more about them. You can easily research their mating habits, what they prefer to eat, their migration patterns and many more. This is going to make it possible to attract more critters to your own yard.

What are some things you need? You will need a pair of binoculars, a good field guide, a pencil and note pad. You may also want to take a camera along with you, but that is not necessary. For your computer, you can also find bird software available, which can help you with identifying the critters you come across.

If you follow a process, wild bird identification will be a lot easier. Take note that no two bird field guides will be the same. You should start by practicing in your own backyard with the birds that you know. How fast can you find a blue jay, cardinal or chickadee in the field guide?

Birding Trips: Big Or Small Companies, Which Is Better?

For many, bird watching is a fascinating hobby. Many individuals go on birding trips just to see different birds that they would not normally see. There are so many choices out there, so finding the perfect birding trips can be a bit overwhelming. By asking and getting answers to your questions, it can ease the anxiety and maybe even make it easier on you. For those trips, should you choose a large or small company? Does all of this even matter?

The large and small tour companies both offer bargains, but the real pleasure would be what it is all about. With a big tour company, you may have to pay a little bit more, but that may be a good thing. You see, that higher price may mean that you will have a high quality experience. With those small companies, they can give you personal attention.

If a newer company is giving a tour for less than the competitors, then it would be a good idea to look into them and make sure you will be getting everything you pay for. Ask them about the things about their birding trips that are the most important to you.

Speak with the members of a bird club in your area and see if they have a company that they could recommend. Chances are, you know someone that has been on guided tours with a company before. We have found that those personal recommendations are very helpful.

If you have never went on a tour before and you live in the USA, then you should start on a little one in North America so that you can see how you like it.

This is better than going on a four week trip to an exotic country only to find that you do not like it. You should also consider the pace of the tour. For instance, some trips are very relaxes, while others are really fast paced.

If it is your first trip, then you should start off with an easy one and save that challenging one for a bit later. The tour company will be able to tell you about the pace of the trip. If you have any questions to offer a touring company, then make sure you do so. Overall, birding trips should be a pleasure to go on and very enjoyable.

Different Types Of Wild Birds Have Their Own Unique Characteristics

The types of wild birds that you may find in your yard are extremely varied and will differ depending on your geographic location. There are some birds that have a wide range of areas they can be located in while others are very limited to area in which they reside. The seasons also have a direct effect on the types of wild birds and the popularity of these birds.

Since many birds migrate for the winter the type of birds that you will find in the winter will vary greatly from those you will find in the summer. However there are some species where not all the birds of that species will migrate. There are also some species that do not migrate at all regardless of the weather.

There are about as many different sizes of birds as their types of wild birds. Although there are many different types they tend to fall into different categories. While there are literally thousands of different species of wild birds there are about 3 dozen or so families or categories of birds.

In many cases it is easy to see the association in these families such as the duck and the goose being in the same family. However there are some families of birds that cannot be so easily associated. Many of the smaller species of birds closely resemble each other and it is often hard to tell the difference on quick glance, unless you are a seasoned bird watcher.

There are also those birds that fall into the category of game birds, or birds that are hunted for food or simply recreational pleasures. The most common game bird is probably duck or turkey, but it is also popular to hunt grouse, partridge and quail.

There are some wild birds that closely represent each other but are actually in different families, one example of this is the quail. While the old world quail falls into the same family as turkeys, the new world quail are in a category their own. Both families are birds that rarely fly, but the new world quail category of birds mostly resides in the western United States.

There are some types of wild birds that are associated with particular regions of the country. A perfect example of the is would be the Pink flamingo who is clearly associated with Florida, and the great white eagle which is believed to be located mostly in the mountainous areas. Some birds evolve to their surroundings such as the falcons that live among the sky scrapers of Manhattan.

Birdwatching Vacation: Learn To Recognize The Birds

Do you enjoy watching birds that lurk around and peck in the grass in your backyard? Then you are going to enjoy traveling the world where you can see over ten thousand species of birds. If a birdwatching vacation is on your mind and you have never been on one before, then you are in need of some tips.

First of all, for the area you plan on visiting, you are going to need a field guide. What is a field guide? This is a book that is full of pictures of different birds. You are also going to find tips that will help you identify the ones you see. For those living in the United States, the Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds or Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds would be a great choice.

Once you are familiar with the birds that are in your area, you should look into the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of N. A. Third edition. For those young bird watchers, Peterson offers a guide just for you. In it, you will find descriptions of one hundred and eighty eight bird. The new Stokes Field Guides would also be something to look into.

Of course, during your birdwatching vacation, you will need to take some binoculars with you. This is so that you can see the birds.

The best birdwatchers out there have the best binoculars. Even though they are able to tell the species of a bird from one hundred yards away simply by looking at their silhouette, they still like to see them up close. There is a big different between those fifty dollar binoculars and the nine hundred dollar ones.

For the area you are traveling to, you need to know what to expect. The big woodpecker you saw in the woods was not an Ivory-billed Woodpecker, it was a Pileated Woodpecker. By looking at a checklist of the birds in the area, you will learn this. Many of the National and State parks will give you checklists of the birds that have been spotted in the park.

In order to see them, you need to find them. In order to find them, you will need to learn about the habitat of each species of bird you like. Do you want to spend more time on a lake, at the top of a tree or on the ground? You should also learn the voice of the birds in your yard and then later, learn the voice of the birds in other areas. In order to find a bird, often times, you are going to hear it first.

A birdwatching vacation can be a fun way to spend some time, but you will have a lot more fun if you do your homework ahead of time.

What You Need For Backyard Bird Watching

Backyard bird watching is somewhat different in intensity and style than going out into the field to view the birds of the area. The equipment is usually of a more permanent nature. You will be able to use equipment that is more complex, since you won’t need to carry it with you to use it. Depending upon the area where you live, there may be a wide variety of birds that naturally visit your back yard, with others, you will need to do some enticement.

If you want to be able to watch birds in your backyard, you need to find a good location where you can see what is happening without unduly upsetting the birds who will visit there. Viewing through a window will probably be the most comfortable for you while you are watching and identifying the birds who visit. Other options are using a gazebo or porch or other place where you can be seated.

Building and siting of the bird feeder will be an important consideration for backyard bird watching. Birds who want to feed usually prefer a certain type of feed and an arrangement that will allow them to feed in safety. This means keeping the feeding space protected from marauding squirrels, cats and neighborhood dogs. Different feeding styles can be accommodated by design elements in the feeder. Adding a bird bath will bring other birds with different activities going on.

Having a spotting scope available close to where you sit to view the bird feeding site helps in identification, particularly if you are some distance from the feeder. Choosing a scope that has the ability to gather the maximum amount of light with the outer lens allows you to watch birds even with the light is dim, such as at dusk. Keep your scope handy and add a notebook or laptop to record the viewings.

A good quality camera is another piece of equipment that most bird watchers will want to have handy. If you want to record the images, look for zoom lens and fast shutter speed capability. You can enjoy stills or video images for documenting your hobby sightings.

Backyard bird watching is a hobby that can be enjoyed by children as well as adults. Since you don’t have to be physically fit to watch birds from your armchair, its a great hobby for those who have difficulty walking or hiking. The costs to get involved with bird watching are much lower than with other hobbies.

Tips On Wild Bird Feeding

Feeding wild birds can be rewarding. Not only is it rewarding, but it gives them just what they need, especially when their natural food sources have been limited. When you offer your birds some food, you will surely get to look at some species that you would not normally see. If you are interested in wild bird feeding, then below you are going to find some helpful tips:

Did you know that birdseed is just like all other food, it does have an expiration date. Many individuals do not realize this one. Before you refill those feeders, it is important that you remove any old, clumped or moldy seed. Giving the feeder a good shake has a tendency to dislodge any of those clumps from the tube. There is also a handy feeder mop that you can use to reach those hard to get to areas. An old spoon or spatula will help get those messes or clumps from the platform feeders.

If you have children that would like to help out, then introduce them to feeding birds with suet. What is suet? Suet is prepackaged suet cakes that you can easily install into their feeders. They are the right size for those little hands and they do not make much mess.

Before you just go out and purchase a feeder for wild bird feeding, you need to think about where you would like to put it. You will want to place it in some place where you can easily see it and add some seed to it when the weather is harsh. You will also want to place it in an area where droppings and discarded shells will not be a problem to clean up.

The hummingbird feeders should be left filled with nectar. They should be visible for two weeks after your last hummingbird sighting.

This will allow them to replenish their energy before they migrate south. To prevent leaks from occurring in the stopper type feeders, put a stopper inside of the feeder and leave about one fourth of the length outside the feeder.

If you have only one feeder and only one type of seed, then you may want to make it into a tube feeder with some sunflower seeds in it. With this, you are going to attract cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, siskins and many more. For those squirrels, you should offer them a separate feeder full of nuts for them to enjoy, so that they will leave the bird food alone.

wild bird feeding is a great way to be able to do your bird watching right in your own yard!