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Tips and Tricks for Better Birding and Bird Watching

by: DaveJoa
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Watching Birds is Great Fun!

Enjoying birds and bird watching is one of the best ways to get out of the house and into the countryside and away from your back yard. By watching them in their natural habitat you will see them in their normal environment and it will be a different experience than watching them at the bird houses and bird feeders in you yard.

Bird watching has become a very popular past time and this is set to increase. More of us find that we have more leisure time available and are keen to participate. We also appreciate that taking an interest in nature is one of the best ways to get started on a path to help protect the environment and the habitat that birds require to succeed.

If you are new to bird watching or birding then it will help you if you have some idea of the best way to approach your new hobby to ensure that when you go out looking for birds you will be successful in seeing some. Putting up a bird feeder in your yard is a good way to start but once your interest increases you will want to go further afield to see more and different birds.

Make An Early Start!

If you are really keen and want the best chance of seeing the largest number of birds then you need to get out their early. Wherever you are going to watch birds, whether in your yard, on the coast, in local woodland or a park or other open space, you will definitely see a lot more birds if you are there early in the morning.

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.

Bright Clothing Is Not Allowed!

When out bird watching make sure that you do not wear bright colored clothes as this will make it much easy for the birds to see you and any movement you make could scare them away even before you see them.

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.

Keep Noise To An Absolute Minimum

If you are not quiet when looking for birds you are going to scare them all away before you get anywhere near them. Talking and moving quickly are two of the worst things you can do when birding and will always guarantee low bird sightings and you will never hear the birds even if they are close by.

So if you have to communicate with other birders with you just whisper quietly and when close to birds you are trying to see use hand signals or gestures to indicate where the birds are, but do not move you arms around to point out locations as if the birds see this then they will be gone!

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.

Always Make Sure You Stay On the Trail

You will avoid disturbing the birds by staying on the trail and by not trying to go through the undergrowth. Also you should never try to flush out a bird or chase them in any way as this could put stress on the birds you are trying to see and force them to flee.

Also if you do not already have bird feeders or bird houses in your yard you should definitely put some up in appropriate locations and start feeding the birds as this will get many more birds into your back yard and make them much easier for you to see.

Never approach too close to a bird and never go near a birds nest during the breeding season but just leave them in peace to get on with their nesting.

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.

Bird watching is an enjoyable pastime for any nature lover. Birding can be inexpensive and at some times challenging but above all it is always enjoyable and fun.

It is easy to begin by just putting up bird feeders and bird houses for nesting in your yard and get enjoyment from watching the birds as they come and go.

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 cheap bird houses as an inexpensive way to get started.

Tips and Tricks for Better Birding and Bird Watching

About the Author

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