by Eric J Taylor

Created on: July 30, 2010

You have seen birds flying around you and have noted there are a range of different species.  You are fascinated by their behaviour and would like to know more.  Birding is the activity of watching or sighting birds and it can be divided into a number of different categories.  On a basic level, one could be described as a “birdwatcher”; however, others could be described as ornithologists or twitchers.

An ornithologist is one who studies birds using detailed scientific methods.  They may be interested in the preservation of species or studying why birds act in certain ways.  A twitcher is someone whose objective is to sight and record rare birds, often seeking to add another “newbie” to their list of sightings.  They will travel long distances to make that sighting.  The term twitching is attributed to the nervous behaviour of British birdwatcher Howard Medhurst in the 1950s,  

Most people involved in the activity of birding would be described as birdwatchers.  You do not need to travel far or spend a lot of money to become involved in this activity.  In fact, just sitting in your back yard or local park watching what birds arrive and how they behave would be defined as birdwatching, however, there are a number of items that can make your birding far more rewarding.  As you sit and watch, you notice that there are a number of different birds arriving and you will want to know what different types of birds are there and a little about them.  The answers lie within a field guide, a book containing details of birds including photographs or drawings and descriptions of their behaviour.  It could be a local guide produced by a local club or one that shows all the birds from your country or region.  Some guides are made small enough to carry in your pocket; hence the title field guide.  Better quality guides will include details of a bird both perched and in flight.  For those travelling to Australia, I can recommend Michael Morecombe’s Field Guide to Australian Birds showing 850 species with over 3,400 illustrations.

Once you have started birding, you will notice that you cannot get close enough to some birds to identify them.  To make them appear closer; having a pair of binoculars is a useful tool, as it appears to bring the bird closer.  While the cost of binoculars can vary significantly, you do not need to buy an expensive pair.  Important

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>