My Phenomenal Birding Abilities
I have been interested in birds for years. I started taking a Peterson's guide with me into the woods in the 70's. I finally figured out what some of the birds were by the 80's. Birds are not sitting still or waiting for me to check in the book, "Oh yes, it is red here, it has a short bill, let's see what the length is, let me measure the bird..." No, it flits and jumps here and there, hiding behind branches and is gone. So much for checking the index. You don't have time to see which chapter you want or which photo is similar.
The best birders already know all the birds. They know the songs or calls, the way birds look in the different seasons, Oh you didn't know that birds CHANGE plumage according to the season, like you change purses each month? Well, yes, and they are different according to how old they are, too. Juvenile plumage is unique just as in some birds the male and female are entirely different. Are you beginning to see this is more complicated than just checking in a book?
So I thought getting a pair of binocculars might help a bit. This actually makes the process a little more difficult, since it takes getting used to.
If a bird is far away, then even getting them out of the case in time to see anything is a trick, let alone focus, and find the bird in time. Let's say you have them hanging around your neck, in focus, and you wear glasses, you need to take glasses off, put binocculars on eyes, find object quickly, follow jumping flying bird, identify, be able to estimate size and color(at a distance- not so easy) and this means, not using a book at all for the time you are using the binocculars.
I have worked with several different guide books, and each one has its advantages. The Audubon Guide groups the birds in color, and has actual photos, which is nice, so that you go to a color area, and look for the fliting colors you see. That can be a problem, if you see red, and the photo turned out orange or purple in hues. You need to check different color families before you give up. The Golden Guide for Birds, has drawings, but it gives you maps where the birds usually are found and which seasons you can find them. It also has this little drawing on the side, which shows you the song the bird sings. It is not really clear how that makes a sound, but it helps you compare one to another if you can't figure it out. One year I just bought a book with bird songs in it, took it to Eagle Bay, and played the songs while the kids went fishing. I was amazed how many birds came to visit us, to see who the "foreigners" were. I am sure in today's time you can get all kinds of bird songs and calls to carry into the woods with your hike, and attract more birds.
Recently I bought the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America. It is a wonderful tome, about twice the size of my other field guides, but clear drawn and well written I am very glad I bought it.
In the last couple of years I have joined Feeder Watch, and counted the birds at my bird feeders in the winter months for Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It is a fun hobby, and I am sure they make allowances for us "amateurs" dabbling in the science of birdwatching. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ It also has a facebook link, at Project Feederwatch.
Here is what I have learned over the years: go for a general body size and shape outline of the bird to see if it is standing upright, sailing like a boat, or diving like a Kingfisher. That clue can mean a lot in identifying a bird. If the robin hops, or the grackle walks, you've got a clue right there.
.
One year driving to Eagle Bay(or was it on the way home?) we saw a large bird of prey killed on the side of the expressway. Jim stopped the van, and we put it into the van to report it and take it to one of the bird sanctuaries in the area. He was dead, but being a bird lover, I thought they might want to know about the fate of this animal. We called ahead, and the ranger asked, "What kind of bird is it?"
"UH, I think it is a hawk of some kind...maybe a Goshawk."
Ranger,"Goshawks are kind of rare around here, are you sure?"
"UH, no, I just looked it up in my bird book, and that is what it looks like."
Ranger,"OK, that would be a really great find, so far from its usual habitat! Bring it here!"
We drove a bit out of our way, and arrived excited to find out it was actually a juvenile red-shouldered hawk, a quite common hawk found everywhere in the United States, and not a bit unusual. Ho-Hum, actually.
I guess even when the bird is dead, at your feet for several hours, and you have several books at your fingertips, you still have to know birds pretty well before you can identify them correctly!
The best birders already know all the birds. They know the songs or calls, the way birds look in the different seasons, Oh you didn't know that birds CHANGE plumage according to the season, like you change purses each month? Well, yes, and they are different according to how old they are, too. Juvenile plumage is unique just as in some birds the male and female are entirely different. Are you beginning to see this is more complicated than just checking in a book?
So I thought getting a pair of binocculars might help a bit. This actually makes the process a little more difficult, since it takes getting used to.
If a bird is far away, then even getting them out of the case in time to see anything is a trick, let alone focus, and find the bird in time. Let's say you have them hanging around your neck, in focus, and you wear glasses, you need to take glasses off, put binocculars on eyes, find object quickly, follow jumping flying bird, identify, be able to estimate size and color(at a distance- not so easy) and this means, not using a book at all for the time you are using the binocculars.
I have worked with several different guide books, and each one has its advantages. The Audubon Guide groups the birds in color, and has actual photos, which is nice, so that you go to a color area, and look for the fliting colors you see. That can be a problem, if you see red, and the photo turned out orange or purple in hues. You need to check different color families before you give up. The Golden Guide for Birds, has drawings, but it gives you maps where the birds usually are found and which seasons you can find them. It also has this little drawing on the side, which shows you the song the bird sings. It is not really clear how that makes a sound, but it helps you compare one to another if you can't figure it out. One year I just bought a book with bird songs in it, took it to Eagle Bay, and played the songs while the kids went fishing. I was amazed how many birds came to visit us, to see who the "foreigners" were. I am sure in today's time you can get all kinds of bird songs and calls to carry into the woods with your hike, and attract more birds.
Recently I bought the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America. It is a wonderful tome, about twice the size of my other field guides, but clear drawn and well written I am very glad I bought it.
In the last couple of years I have joined Feeder Watch, and counted the birds at my bird feeders in the winter months for Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It is a fun hobby, and I am sure they make allowances for us "amateurs" dabbling in the science of birdwatching. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ It also has a facebook link, at Project Feederwatch.
Here is what I have learned over the years: go for a general body size and shape outline of the bird to see if it is standing upright, sailing like a boat, or diving like a Kingfisher. That clue can mean a lot in identifying a bird. If the robin hops, or the grackle walks, you've got a clue right there.
 |
| American Goldfinch |
When American Goldfinch swoop in over my yard, making double-u waves as they fly, the gold color is secondary. I hear their tell-tale call and know what will be at my feeder without having to check any book. They hang a certain way with their feet, eating upside down sometimes, chirping in a friendly way, often paired male and female, even numbered at the feeders
 |
| Carolina Wren |
If I see a little ball of fluff, bobbing its tail, I look for a wren. It is probably a Carolina Wren that visits my feeder, with striking eye liner, and a cheery behavior, hopping about, on the ground, then on the feeder.
I never see the Goldfinch on the ground. I ONLY see the Mourning Doves on the ground, sitting passively on the ground, waiting for something, or on the eaves of the house. I think they would only freeze to defend themselves in case of danger. All the other birds would fly off, they sit tight on the ground.
 |
| Northern Cardinals |
 |
| Mourning Dove |
Cardinals feed on the ground, perch on the fence, eat from the feeder, but seem to prefer the ground. Maybe it is the size of the perch on the feeder I have, maybe they just like ground feeding. The small size of the perch makes it hard for the grackle and the starling to get any seed. They come to the feeders, hold one foot on one perch, another on the perch above, and with their beak, spread seed all over the ground. They make a mess! Right now my feeder is empty, and I need to refill it for that reason.
Summers we travel up to the Adirondacks, to a little town called Eagle Bay, were there used to be Eagles on Eagle Cliff. As far as I know there are none, but everyone swears they see them every year. I watch the lake, and can see an osprey fly over the drop off each day, often diving for fish, sometimes with a fish in his claws, and that may be the bird they are confusing with an eagle. There is an osprey nest that has been protected on the island in Moss Lake for the last couple of years, which could be the same birds. If the land supports osprey it is possible that it could support eagles, too. Who knows?
 |
| Osprey |
One year driving to Eagle Bay(or was it on the way home?) we saw a large bird of prey killed on the side of the expressway. Jim stopped the van, and we put it into the van to report it and take it to one of the bird sanctuaries in the area. He was dead, but being a bird lover, I thought they might want to know about the fate of this animal. We called ahead, and the ranger asked, "What kind of bird is it?"
 |
| Goshawk |
Ranger,"Goshawks are kind of rare around here, are you sure?"
"UH, no, I just looked it up in my bird book, and that is what it looks like."
Ranger,"OK, that would be a really great find, so far from its usual habitat! Bring it here!"
We drove a bit out of our way, and arrived excited to find out it was actually a juvenile red-shouldered hawk, a quite common hawk found everywhere in the United States, and not a bit unusual. Ho-Hum, actually.
I guess even when the bird is dead, at your feet for several hours, and you have several books at your fingertips, you still have to know birds pretty well before you can identify them correctly!
 |
| Red-Shouldered hawk |
Comments
Post a Comment