Birdwatching, also known as birding, is a recreational activity that is enjoyed by many people throughout the world. Birdwatching entails an individual, or a group of individuals going outdoors to see birds in their community, or a rural area that may be a distance from their home city. Birders sometimes purchase binoculars or telescopes to help them look for birds. They also often purchase special books known as field guides which have photographs or illustrations of birds that are common in a particular location. Field guides also list facts about each bird species such as measurements, diet, habitat, and whether or not the species in question is sexually dimorphic which means if the male and female differ in appearance. FIeld guides may also contain special sheets known as checklists; the checklist is a sheet with the name of every bird listed in the book next to a check box. The check box for each bird can be checked when the birdwatcher is fortunate enough to see that species.
There are also online resources which can assist a birdwatcher, such as AllAboutBirds.Org which is a website that lists avian species of North America. AllAboutBirds.Org is owned and operated by The Cornell Lab Of Ornithology. Cornell also owns and operates BirdsOfTheWorld.Org which charges a fee to access its database of the world’s birds.
Birders sometimes will hear a bird but will not see it, in this case they can search the internet for the songs and calls of birds in their area and hopefully they will find the species they heard.
Birdwatchers need some practice before they can identify every bird they see. Some tips to remember when identifying species are: size; was the bird bigger than a sparrow? Was it smaller than a swan? Also pay attention to the color, pattern of markings, vocalizations, and habitat. The American Goldfinch(Spinus tristis) can be often seen in a weedy field; where as the Mallard(Anas platyrhynchos) is always near a body of water, typically a lake or pond.
BIrdwatching has been very important to ecotourism companies that offer guided birdwatching tours for a fee. One such organization is Cayaya BIrding which is located in Guatemala. There are also boat tour companies that will transport birdwatchers to marine locations where seabirds may be seen.
It is good to remember that you do not need to buy fancy equipment, expensive books, computer software, or even go out that much to appreciate your local birdlife; just try to observe every bird you encounter and when you return home you can type its description into Google to see if you can find the bird you saw. You can also check your school library, or the public library in your community to see if they have a book of birds that live in your location.
Birdwatching is an awesome activity that encourages a love and respect for wildlife and also promotes bird conservation.
