How to be a Birder part 17
Hint # 17 Read books about birds
Birds have had many thousands of books and magazines dedicated to their identification, study and beauty. Most birders end up having at least several field guides. Many birders subscribe to a range of birding or natural history magazines and newsletters. A few dedicated birders have large libraries of bird books. There are even specialist bookshops dedicated to bird books, or at least to books about natural history.
Books and magazines are an excellent way to educate yourself about the life of birds, their characteristics, identification and distribution. The vast majority of books are broad in their scope. Some are dedicated to the birds of a region or a particular country. Others may confine their coverage to a particular region within a country like the birds of South Australia, for example. Still others confine their attention to a specific family of birds like owls, gulls or honeyeaters. Some authors have restricted themselves to just one species for the entire publication. I have in my collection a book published many years ago on the life of the Mallee Fowl, a threatened species present near where I live.
Build up your collection of bird books and magazines over a period of several years as your budget allows. They will, I am sure, bring countless hours of pleasure over many decades. If your budget is very limited, try second-hand bookshops, garage sales and stalls at markets and fetes and even eBay. Don’t forget your local library either. Our library even has a few excellent videos and DVDs about birds.
Links:
Updated November 2013.
Australian Magpie
How to be a Birder part 15
Hint #15 Use a birding database on your computer
Most birders have traditionally kept extensive diaries or notebooks of their birding observations. There is nothing wrong with this approach. It is cheap – a notebook costs only a few dollars – and it creates a permanent record. This is necessary, because if you are anything like me, your memory may be fine – up to a point. Actually, I suspect it’s my forgettery that is at fault. Or perhaps my memory bank is full. Whatever.
I still keep extensive records in little notebooks in the field. I buy the type that fits easily into my shirt pocket. That way it is in easy reach and I always know where it is. Find whatever system works for you.
Back at home base I then transfer these notes to my computer. I use a database dedicated to birding called BirdInfo developed by Canberra birder Simon Bennett in the early 1990s. This database has gone through many versions and is ideal for my needs. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone wanting to go down this path. There are available, however, many other databases dedicated to birding. Search on the internet or look in birding magazines. If you are a computer whiz and have the time, you could develop your own specialised database using something like Microsoft Windows Excel or Access.
BirdInfo enables me to record all my observations in an easy to use and retrieve format. Each observation takes only several key strokes. I can record the date, the place, the map coordinates, the species name, number, breeding and several other fields as well.
Retrieving data is just as easy with many different reports easily generated. For example, in seconds I can search and find a list of birds I saw in my garden in 1988. I can just as easily find the record of the first time I saw a Yellow Billed Spoonbill, or how many times I have seen a Mallee Fowl, and where, and how many. This is just a few of the examples of many uses I find for the database.
Entering many years of records from notebooks and diaries into a computer database can be a very daunting task taking many hours of typing. It is not for everyone. Think carefully how you are going to use it before launching out. I find it very interesting and useful. Some might find it burdensome and pointless.
It’s your hobby, so pursue it in your own way.
To read more hints about how to be a birder click here.
For information about BirdInfo for Windows click here.
Rainbow Lorikeet
How to be a Birder part 10
Hint # 10 Go on excursions
As you get a taste for birding you will want to broaden your birding experiences. Birding in your own backyard can get a little limiting at times. You will desire to see more birds, and different kinds of birds. You will see pictures of birds in books and field guides that you simply must get to see in the wild.
Go on an excursion.
This can be as simple as taking a walk down the street, or to the nearest park or public garden. Chances are that you will begin to see a few new birds. Go for a drive to the nearest botanic gardens or national park. Seek out the nearest lake, dam, reservoir, beach, river or river estuary, all potential birding spots.
Plan a picnic, day trip or short holiday further a field. Study the maps and tourist brochures for the planned destination, looking for potential birding spots. In Australia, many tourist pamphlets list good birding spots. Tourism operators and promoters are quickly becoming aware of the huge economic potential of the birding community. This is probably true of Europe and America as well. This trend is also being tapped into in Asian countries and African tourism has been aware of this for some time.
Join a bird watching club or organisation in your area. These groups regularly organise excursions into good birding spots. Sometimes the leaders arrange access to private properties or places where the public rarely gets to visit.
So, if the birds won’t come to you, you need to go to them.
I invite readers to comment below on their favourite birding spots. Where do you find plenty of birds to watch?
For more hints on how to be a birder click here.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
How to be a Birder part 9
Hint # 9 Join a Bird Club
Joining a group of people with similar interests is an excellent way of developing one’s skills and knowledge base. Every state of Australia has a major birding organisation and some of the larger regional centres also have birding groups. There are birding organisations in many countries of the world, so no matter where you are, in is worth seeking out a local group of like minded people. If there isn’t one, consider starting one. You don’t have to be an expert or have any experienced birders as members to start a group. Learn together. Find out where the experienced people are and invite them to your meetings.
Another benefit of joining a birding group is that you will receive their newsletters. These give details of upcoming meetings, speakers and their topics. They will often have articles pertinent to birders, reviews of books and DVDs about birds and even details of coming excursions and places worth visiting.
And clubs are always a great place to meet new people and make new friends.
To read more about how to be a birder, click here.
Black Swan, Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
How to be a Birder part 5
Hint #5: Buy or Borrow a Field Guide
Birders are always learning more and more about the objects of their hobby. Many collect whole bookshelves, even a small library of books and magazines about birds. Prime amongst these would have to be a field guide to the birds of your area, state or country. In Australia we are in the wonderful position of having more than one from which to choose. In fact there are 5 or 6 excellent guides currently available and several more out of print editions often available in second hand bookshops. There is no excuse for not knowing about birds.
Study the field guide often. Refer to it to find out details of each species. As you see each new species read about it. Try to commit to memory the important facts about its habits, distribution, habitat preference, plumage colours, nesting habits, movements and any other useful information relevant to that particular species.
For other useful hints on becoming a birder click here.
Related article:
- Bird Word: Field Guide – article from my glossary of birding words.
Crested Pigeon