Birdwatching.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

Just started getting into bird watching. I have a couple field guides to North American Birds, cheap binoculars, a utility vest, hiking boots, an upland field jacket, a moleskine, a fountain pen, a flask, etc. I am going on a bird watching tour this month to get my feet wet. Any bird watchers here? Tips? Admonitions? Recommendations for decent binoculars? Anecdotes? Tall tales? Relevant schema? Favorite birds?

So far I have identified a tufted titmouse using the field guide and binoculars. Turdus migratorius I can readily identify.

 

[skalogre]

No real birdwatching, except for watching all the hummingbirds, sparrows, pigeons, woodpeckers, goldfinches, housefinches, verdins, cactus wrens et.c. that frequent our yard (and the majority of them have acquired a liking for the sugarwater my wife puts out for the hummingbirds).

P.s. hummingbirds are seriously bad tempered little bastards.

 

[skalogre]

P.p.s. I am sure there is some in-joke I am missing here but hell, I don't care

 

[GQgeek]

I think it's boring. I enjoyed chasing down macaws in the rainforest, but only because they were so hard to get close to for good pictures. Plus, macaws are just cool birds. In general, birds don't do much for me. Really, it was trekking around in the rainforest that I liked more than anything else. It can be fun to photograph them though.

Anyway, my advice is screw the binoculars and get an slr and a good lens.

 

[mr.loverman]

i took a birdwatching class a few months ago. get some sick binoculars(if you've got the cash). you can also learn birdsongs because many birds are much easier identified by song than by sight and many birds will stay out of sight. do research to find a bunch of good nature trails in your area. find out about local migrations. maybe check out the local audobon society. the cool thing about birding is that it adds a whole new dimension to being in the outdoors. you never know what you will see. there are also many urban species if you are stuck in a city.



http://www.audubon.org/

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by mr.loverman

i took a birdwatching class a few months ago. get some sick binoculars(if you've got the cash). you can also learn birdsongs because many birds are much easier identified by song than by sight and many birds will stay out of sight. do research to find a bunch of good nature trails in your area. find out about local migrations. maybe check out the local audobon society. the cool thing about birding is that it adds a whole new dimension to being in the outdoors. you never know what you will see. there are also many urban species if you are stuck in a city.



http://www.audubon.org/

if guns were allows in the city, i'd be shooting pigeons all day.

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

mr loverman: you are right about that. birdwatching has made me interact with my environment much more while on the familiar trails that i've hiked in my area. previously, i'd hike with the idea of getting somewhere. birdwatching has made me stop and look around. i love birdsongs. i'd like to pick some up on vinyl. i already have wolf-songs (narrated by robert redford) and whalesongs on records. i'd get an SLR but i like hiking without much baggage. i want a pair of binoculars that i could pocket easily.