Watching Birds, Kalai Selvi Arivalagan [ereader for textbooks .txt] 📗

Bird Watching

Observing birds in their natural habitat, a popular pastime and scientific sport, developed during the 20th century. Until the 19th century, bird-watchers could identify an unfamiliar species only when its corpse was in their hands. Modern bird-watching was made possible largely by the development of optical aids which enabled people to see and study wild birds without harming them.

Bird watching is a great way to escape from the monotonous life and be one with nature. No one knows the sights and sounds of nature better than a bird-watcher. By looking at the plumage and listening to the call note of a bird, a bird-watcher can tell you what bird that is. This is not an exaggeration. It is a fact. In fact, bird-watchers are generally more observant than the average person.

Bird watching is an inexpensive way to explore nature’s winged wonders and to find an excuse to spend your time outdoors.  Bird watching engages both our eyes (or via binoculars) and our ears. Most of the species of birds are identified by listening to their unique chirps and tweets. Birds can also be identified from their behaviours, movements, colours, markings, plumages, silhouettes (shape and size), beak shapes, calls, songs and their habitats.

The word ‘Bird Watching’ emphasizes more on the visual, while the word ‘birding’ involves both auditory and ocular activity. Though people start by spotting different species of birds (common and rare), they soon become interested in studying birds, and birdlife, in more detail – their habitats, and their patterns of migration, roosting and breeding, etc.

History of Bird Watching

 Shakespeare first used the term ‘birding’ in (‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’: “Her husband goes this morning a-birding.”). The idea of observing birds dates back to late 18th Century Britain, when the nature loving authors like Gilbert White wrote in detail about the isles’ rich and varied avifauna. In Victorian England, it became a popular hobby along with the interest in nature among the luxurious.

 

The term ‘Bird Watching’ was used for the first time as the title of a book, 'Bird Watching’, by Edmund Selous, 1901. Interest in the activity continued to grow during the 20th Century, with the  introduction of field guides and binoculars (that helped to enhance the view). 

 

Why watch birds?

Bird Watching has become the fastest growing outdoor recreation. Bird watching is a simple and inexpensive sport. We need only a good bird book, binoculars, and walking shoes. We can find birds everywhere, even in our backyard. Bird watching is an opportunity for people to feel close to nature through watching birds. Bird-watching or birding is a fascinating activity that increases our awareness and appreciation of natural wildlife. It is inexpensive and easy to learn.

Birds represent an amazing group of species. They are an essential part of ecosystems taking different roles in different habitats. Birds with variations in color, song, and incredible differences in flight pattern are a delight to the senses.  Scientists say that birds use song to attract mates, mark territory, or signal danger. Bird-watching can be challenging, rigorous or relaxing, a solitary recreation or one done with companions. Age and gender are irrelevant. Keen observation skills and a curious spirit are all that is required. Bird-watching can be done close to home or far afield.

Where and When to see birds

 Though it is possible to watch birds any time and any place, it is helpful to know when and where to look for them. We can see specific birds at certain times of the day. For example, small birds like sparrows, robins, warblers, and woodpeckers are easier to see two to three hours after dawn or just before sunset.

 

At this time, they feed actively. Small birds will be silent or hidden during the rest of the day. Eagles and hawks are seen when the sun is up. Visibility is best for hunting at this time and they can soar on the thermal currents from the warm air. Birds like owls are more likely to be seen in the evening. Many shorebirds and waders rest at high tide and feed when the water rises or falls.

The best time to watch birds in full colorful plumage is in spring when they migrate to their nesting grounds. Most birds breed in the summer so that we can watch them build their nests and raise their young. The fall migration is the hardest time to identify birds because of the change in their plumage.

Birding Skills

Birds are likely to be alarmed by noise or sudden movement, so move slowly and quietly. Watch the vegetation for movement that may give away a bird's location. Watch for signs of alarm in birds : a freeze in posture, a cocked head, or half-raised wings. These tell you to stop moving until the bird calms down or to back away if necessary.

There are some basic clues for bird identification. The bird's silhouette, its plumage and coloration, its behavior, its song or calls, its habitat. Many people get into bird-watching to see the beautiful colors. The marks that distinguish one bird from another are called field marks. These include such things as breast spots, wing bars (thin lines along the wings), eye rings (circles around the eyes), eyebrows (lines over the eyes), eye lines (lines through the eyes), and beaks.

 

Beaks help us to identify the birds easily. They also help us learn more about the behavior of the birds. Beaks of birds vary depending on the species and their diet. In most birds they are light so that the bird's flight is easier. They are bony in structure and covered with keratin, much like our fingernails. They work like hammers, chisels, pincers, nutcrackers, hooks, spears, or strainers. Cardinals, finches, and sparrows have short conical bills. Woodpeckers have rigid powerful bills to chip away at wood.

 

Hawks, eagles, and owls have sharp, hooked bills for tearing meat. Shorebirds have slender bills of all lengths for probing different depths of sand. Birds such as ducks have flat bills useful for filtering food. In order to watch birds in their habitat without disturbing them, wear clothes with dull colors that blend into the background. Muted greens, browns, and grays are good. Avoid fabrics that squeak, or snag easily.

Bird food

All birds need food, water and shelter. Natural foods that birds eat include insects, worms, berries and other fruit, flower nectar, nuts and seeds, tree sap, buds of trees and shrubs, fish and small animals or other birds, eggs. You can get a clue of what a bird eats by the type of beak or bill it has. A thick cone shaped bill is good for cracking seeds. Examples : cardinals, grosbeaks, finches, sparrows, and towhees eat seeds all year long. When seeds are scarce, they eat insects.

Tips for Bird-Watchers You need a field guide for your area. A field guide is a book with pictures of the birds and tips for identifying them. You need binoculars to see the birds. You need to know what to expect in your area. Learn about the habitat of each species of birds. Do they like to spend their time at the top of a tree or on the ground or on a lake? Learn the songs of other birds in your area. To find a bird, you will often have to hear it first. Join a group of other birders. Birders are very friendly and helpful. They are always willing to share their knowledge. Start by calling the local Nature Center or Park. Try a birding trip or tour. Birding tours can take you all over the world. When birding, wear neutral colored clothing, not white. Read about birds. There are many good magazines about birds and birding. Bring the birds to you. You can attract birds to your yard with just a little work. Planting the right flowers will attract the humming birds. Record your bird sightings. Maintain a diary or a list of the birds you see in your yard. Birders often keep lists for their country or state. Ask lots of questions. Be kind to birds.

Why has Bird Watching become so popular?

 

    It is an inexpensive hobby – investing in fancy digital cameras aside.     It is convenient – you can bird watch in your backyard or a local park.     You get to spend time outside.     It is interesting and challenging.     It is relaxing. The concentration and focus are calming.     You meet interesting people.     It keeps you ‘in the moment’.     It involves you in conservation and nature.     It will make you happy.

Basic tips for Bird Watching

 

Spring is ideal for birding because birds begin their migration north and they are more easily visible in trees before the leaves fill in. Birding is best at the beginning or end of the day when many birds are looking for food and are active. Listen for calls. Spotting and identifying is difficult at first but gets easier with practice. Bring birds to you and increase their habitats by planting native plants at your home. Recommended guidebooks