Birding

[candrew]

We are watching a pair of hummingbirds nesting in the Texas Ebony tree in our front yard. Fascinating, entertaining little critters, those Hummers!

 

[grasshopper]

I'm not a birder, per se. Actually I'm more into the herps (lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs, gators).

I like the herper/birder club, good times for herps aren't always the best time for birds. You would love my property, I am at the edge of the western range of desert box turtles, have id about 20 different individuals roaming the ponderosa. My yard list is toads 5, Tree frogs 1, lizards 14, 17 snakes and box turtle. No gators.

 

[LRDave]

I'm not a birder, per se. Actually I'm more into the herps (lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs, gators). But while hiking the swamps near the Everglades I do see a ton of birds, mostly shorebirds and waders, as well as raptors. Just the other day I was in Bird Rookery Swamp and saw what I later identified as a Painted Bunting. Totally new to me, and I asked a couple of the volunteers for the swamp and they said they'd never heard of one there. It's in their normal range, so it's probably natural, but FL is the capital of released invasive and exotic species, so you never know. But it was a beautiful little bird, with a blue head, red breast, and green back. Hard to get a decent picture, as it never would sit still. I did the best I could.

I'd say Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris).

Gorgeous!

 

[Koogie]

DW loves birds. Hummingbirds, Cardinals and Blue Jays in particular.

This thread reminds me of a book I enjoyed that is in my home library.

To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession
https://www.amazon.ca/See-Every-Bird-Earth-Obsession/dp/0452285399

"""What drives a man to travel to sixty countries and spend a fortune to count birds? And what if that man is your father?

Richard Koeppel’s obsession began at age twelve, in Queens, New York, when he first spotted a Brown Thrasher, and jotted the sighting in a notebook. Several decades, one failed marriage, and two sons later, he set out to see every bird on earth, becoming a member of a subculture of competitive bird watchers worldwide all pursuing the same goal. Over twenty-five years, he collected over seven thousand species, becoming one of about ten people ever to do so."""


I enjoy books about eccentrics, obsessives and oddballs.

 

[Ronstar]

We've had a hummingbird feeder outside our kitchen window for years and enjoy watching them. But I just started bird watching more frequently in January. I made a bird feeder and put it about 30' from my home office window. Then I set up my camera on a tripod in my office and I take photos of the birds through the window. Mostly cardinals, chickadees, red bellied woodpeckers, house finches, titmice.

I take my camera and a telephoto lens hiking a couple times a week. Mainly in search of bald eagles and pileated woodpeckers. I've seen several of both, but haven't got a good photo of the pileated woodpeckers yet.

 

[Nemo2]

"Ichabod....you get back here, y'hear?"

 

[stepford]

we also have 8 rattlesnake species 1 venomous Coral snake and Ghia monsters to round things out.

Would those be the infamous Karmann Ghia monsters? I haven't seen one of them since the '70s.

 

[Amethyst]

We had one when I was a toddler. I don't remember it, but parents had pictures. I guess it lived in the garage...

Would those be the infamous Karmann Ghia monsters? I haven't seen one of them since the '70s.

 

[Pellice]

Pellice--I totally agree that birding makes you more aware. DH and I are often out with friends and we see or hear things in nature so much more than our nonbirding friends do. We will be walking along with friends and I will hear some very noisy bird and make a comment and the friends will say they did not even hear it! I wonder if a hobby like birding that makes you more aware of your surroundings can help prevent intellectual decline?

I think any interest that engages as many of the senses as possible, that makes you think, makes you remember, makes you plan, encourages you to make connections (winds and migration, for example), and (important) gets you physically active, will help with intellectual decline. Right now, I'm trying to master matching sonograms with songs and with birds. Visualizing sound - that's definitely creating new pathways in the brain.

Also, the element of being outdoors in a natural environment; that is fundamental for us humans.

I just wish I knew more botany. I would love to have that green and brrown blur resolve itself into sharp details and colors, and I could be as aware of it as I am of birds.

 

[DrRoy]

My wife is more the birder than I, and her sister is a near pro.
.

 

[grasshopper]

Would those be the infamous Karmann Ghia monsters? I haven't seen one of them since the '70s.

Oh that darn spellcheck.

 

[iloveyoga]

Very casual backyard birder here. It's fun to read what everyone does.

 

[dixonge]

Our birding waxes and wanes. Right now it mainly wanes in the winter. When warmer, we often hike the nearby peaks in the early morning. I've started using iNaturalist to document sightings. I use my phone's GPS to track location and time and my Lumix FZ-80 for photos. 1200 zoom.

Wife just takes binoculars. We're a good team.

Birding la Bufa

 

[BoodaGazelle]

My main hobby is bird watching and photography. My web domain, www.excellentbirds.com, which I have owned almost 20 years (!), forwards to my Flickr account with my bird photos. Several have been published, in both books and magazines, but as I am always careful to point out: no money has changed hands for these photos.

 

[always_learning]

Not yet, but I'm wanting to start!

I've always loved looking at birds and find them fascinating. I also love frogs, lizards, turtles, and gators. Snakes, I'd rather see from afar. I didn't realize others had the same interest in both birds and herps. Interesting.

Once dh retires this summer (hopefully), we'll be moving to FL and I'm hoping we will take up 'birding' as we both love nature. He used to be heavy into photography so I've already told him that he is to buy himself a good camera as a retirement present to himself to bring along on our adventures. I have some binocs but don't know how good they'll be. I'll just play it by ear, though, and upgrade as I need/want.

Thanks to those who mentioned educational resources. I've made note of those!

 

[Rianne]

I'm a master naturalist and depend on my birder friends. I'll take pictures of birds I can't identify and send them out. Birders reply with all sorts of identification techniques and behaviors. I saw a flock of what I thought were common ducks, until they started diving in groups. Took a pic, they were Buffleheads which are uncommon in our area. Possibly migrating. Often, I explain a color feature on the wing or shape of the head and tail or some type of behavior. Birders always know the species.

 

[Ronstar]

Birders always know the species.

I know. My BIL is a birder. I don't bother doing much species research myself - I just text a photo to him and he identifies them for me.

 

[harllee]

My main hobby is bird watching and photography. My web domain, www.excellentbirds.com, which I have owned almost 20 years (!), forwards to my Flickr account with my bird photos. Several have been published, in both books and magazines, but as I am always careful to point out: no money has changed hands for these photos.

I looked at your website and really enjoyed all the bird pics. Thank you

 

[LRDave]

^^^ I agree with harllee - a very nice collection of pics! Thanks for sharing.

 

[stepford]

My main hobby is bird watching and photography. My web domain, www.excellentbirds.com, which I have owned almost 20 years (!), forwards to my Flickr account with my bird photos. Several have been published, in both books and magazines, but as I am always careful to point out: no money has changed hands for these photos.

If you have any particular favorites from your collection I'd be happy to see you post a few here.

BTW. Back in my birding years I visited your area (SW Florida) several times and took advantage of the bird photography opportunities. World class area for it.

 

[ER Eddie]

I'm taking an Intro to Birdwatching class at my local OLLI. Unfortunately, the class is geared toward the serious birder, whereas my interest is more casual. I just want to know a little more about the birds in my backyard.

So, the class isn't really for me, but I'll pass on a few recommendations from the instructor, which I can neither confirm nor deny:

Get a set of binoculars in the $200-$500 price range. Some good name brands are Nikon Leitz, Vortex, and Celestron. They should be 8x/42mm. Field of view should be at least 300 ft. diameter at 1000 yards, the larger the better. Don't bother with cheap compact binoculars.

Merlin ID is a good birding app. Audobon Society has another good one.

The Cornell Lab has lots of short videos that are helpful.

 

[audreyh1]

My main hobby is bird watching and photography. My web domain, www.excellentbirds.com, which I have owned almost 20 years (!), forwards to my Flickr account with my bird photos. Several have been published, in both books and magazines, but as I am always careful to point out: no money has changed hands for these photos.

Nice warblers!

 

[LRDave]

Also an important part of bird "watching" is bird "listening". Once you learn to quickly recognize - by sight and sound - all the common suspects in your area, you can then start to pick out the new and unusual birds - especially during spring (easier) and fall migration.

I agree with ER Eddie that 8 X 42 is the sweet spot for binoculars. Nikon Monarchs at about $300 are great pair to start with.

 

[Ronstar]

My main hobby is bird watching and photography. My web domain, www.excellentbirds.com, which I have owned almost 20 years (!), forwards to my Flickr account with my bird photos. Several have been published, in both books and magazines, but as I am always careful to point out: no money has changed hands for these photos.

I really like the owl and spoonbill! Nice photos!

 

[harllee]

I really like the owl and spoonbill! Nice photos!

I really like the Black Skimmers, especially the parent and baby.