Birding Tips For Better Wild Bird Watching

by Dave Joa

Have More Fun Bird Watching!

Birds are fun and bird watching can be a great way to get out into the countryside to enjoy the great outdoors with the benefit of seeing what the local birds are up to. Seeing birds flying and going about their daily routine, even at your bird feeders and bird houses, can be fascinating and already provides great enjoyment to many.

Birding is now a very popular hobby and more birders are joining in every year. Due to increases in available time for other activities many of use now have the time to go birding. Many also realize that being interested in the natural world will provide a better appreciation for the environment and the habitat in which birds live.

Before going off on their first birding trips new birders should learn some of the basics for successful bird watching to avoid the potential for disappointment. Having a bird feeder or bird house in the back yard is a great idea, but to see more birds you need to visit their local habitat to find them.

Be There At Dawn!

The best time to see the biggest number of birds is very early in the morning when the birds will be extremely active and easier to see. This applies wherever you happen to be when you are bird watching including in the back yard, at a park, in the woods or at some coastal location.

The night before your birding trip make sure you get to bed early too so that you are fully rested for the early start the following day. If possible get to your location just before dawn or very soon after. Then for a few hours you will see many birds. Later in the morning as the sun gets higher bird activity and the number of birds you will see will decrease.

Do Not Wear Clothes With Bright Colors!

Bright colored clothes will scare the birds as they will see you easier and take avoiding action by diving into the nearest bushes as soon as they detect your movements and because of this you will not see many birds.

Wear clothes that have subtle and darker tones that is similar in color to the habitat and foliage where you will be doing you bird watching.

Being camouflaged in the foliage or habitat where the birds are located will mean that you are less easy to detect and therefore pose less of a threat to the birds. Even combat type gear might be appropriate if you are very serious about finding the best birds.

Always Be As Quiet As Possible

While you are bird watching always move slowly and above all quietly. If you are with a friend and continuously talking you will never see many birds as the noise you make will scare them off and the fact that you are talking will drown out any noise the birds might make so you will never hear them either.

Whispering is a good idea when near birds and if you want to indicate where you think the birds are you should try and use hand signals to tell you friends, but at no time should you raise an arm to point to where the birds might be, as they will see you do this and will just disappear before you get a chance to see them.

To ensure that the birds do not see your silhouette you should locate yourself behind something big such as a bush or tree trunk because if they detect movement the birds will probably leave the area.

Keep To The Trail At All Times

Never chase the birds or try other techniques aimed at flushing out a bird from the undergrowth as this will just stress them and they will fly off anyway so you will not get a chance to see them. Stick to the trail at all times to avoid disturbing the birds and you will get much better views.

The best way to see birds is to let them come to you and if you find a good location and make yourself comfortable this will happen and can sometimes give the best views. A bird feeder and bird houses in your back yard is also a great idea as again lets the birds come to you and over time they will become less nervous.

Do not approach birds too closely especially during the spring and summer breading season and definitely do not go near their nests.

Get Yourself Some Binoculars or a Scope

Watching birds from a distance is major requirement when birding as many do not allow close views so you will need a good pair of binoculars and when you become a more experienced birder you may feel the need to get a spotting scope to give much closer views of the birds you want to see.

If you are a lover of nature then bird watching can be extremely enjoyable. It does not have to be expensive and although birding can become a bit of a challenge it always remains great fun.

Even if you just start by watching the birds at your bird feeders or bird houses during the nesting season you will get great enjoyment from bird watching.

Enjoy the Birds!

Go on a bird watching trip to find more birds.

About the Author:

Learn the basics and to watch birds in your yard you consider both a discount bird feeder and discount birdhouses as an inexpensive way to get started.

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