Bird Watching For Dummies E-Book

Jessica Vaughan

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 683

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Birds are everywhere. Why not start really watching them?

Sometimes, all it takes is a “spark bird” to open the door. A bird, seen well, so unexpectedly beautiful and interesting that it cracks you wide open. Bird Watching For Dummies is a spark book, teaching you all you need to know about this fun, affordable, and accessible hobby.  It gently guides as you explore your local habitats, learn to recognize more and more species, and reap the many mental health benefits of connecting to the outdoors and all the wonders it holds. This book gets you started, teaching you how to identify birds by sight and sound, find birdwatching hotspots, and get the birds to come to your own backyard. You’ll learn about the latest gear, the best field guides and online apps that will jump-start your bird identification skills. Into photography? This book has your back, with tips on getting good photos for identification and aesthetic purposes. Find out how to join a local bird club, find a field trip or a group tour to rainforest, desert, seacoast, mountains or prairie. Every habitat has its own special birds, and when the birding bug bites, you’ll want to see them all.

• Get started with bird watching or take your hobby to the next level
• Improve your skills with tips for identifying birds by sight and sound
• Understand bird behavior and learn gardening tips that will bring the birds to you
• Choose field guides, binoculars, apps, and other tools of the trade

Bird Watching For Dummies will teach beginners and novices how to start bird watching, sharpen their bird watching skills, and expand their knowledge.

Leseprobe

Bird Watching For Dummies®

To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Bird Watching For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Foreword

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Part 1: Watching Birds — A Natural Habit

Chapter 1: Birds and the People Who Love Them

Unk! Ragnar See Bird!

Bird Watching: From Guns to Binoculars

Choosing Your Identity: Bird Watcher or Birder?

Where the Birds Are

Chapter 2: Tools That Take You Up Close and Personal

Opting for the Optics Option

Getting Up Close and Personal with Your Field Guide

Chapter 3: Identifying Birds (“lf It Walks Like a Duck …”)

Identifying the Parts of a Bird

Paying Attention to Field Marks

Leveraging Your First Impressions

Focusing on Field Marks

Keeping an Eye on Behavior

Field Guide Time, at Last!

If All Else Fails …

Chapter 4: Taxonomy and Nomenclature

This Is Too Deep for a Dummies Guide (…Not!)

Taxonomy 101

King Philip Came Over for WHAT???

We Interrupt King Philip’s Adventures for a Discussion of Nomenclature

Taxonomy 102: We’re Not Going There

Chapter 5: Watching Bird Behavior

Viewing the Variety of Bird Behaviors

Foraging

Singing and Sound-Making

Bathing/Preening

Dating and Mating: Courtship

Nest Building

Defending My Space: Territoriality

Tips for Watching Bird Behavior

Behavior as an ID Tool

Chapter 6: Bird Sounds: News and Entertainment

Looking at Types of Bird Sounds

Mimicry: The Sincerest Form of Flattery

Identifying Birds by Sound

Starting with a Reference Bird

Birding by Ear

Using Merlin

Part 2: Backyard Bird Watching

Chapter 7: Making a Bird-Friendly Yard

Focusing on the Four Basics

Cultivating Bird-Friendly Plants

Backing Backyard Bird Conservation

Chapter 8: Bird Feeding: The Start of It All

There’s No Place Like Home

High or Low: Knowing Where Birds Feed

Feeding Times: When to Start, When to Stop

Maintaining Your Feeding Station

Looking at Bird Seed Types

Exploring Other Bird Foods

Settling in for the Summer

Chapter 9: Gardening for the Birds

Lose the Lawn, Lose the Yawns

Taking Inventory

Praising Meadows

Hummingbirds and Blossoms

A Tree, a Bush, or a Shrub

Get the Picture?

Part 3: Bird Sighting 101: Using Your Tools

Chapter 10: Binoculars and How to Use Them

Optics Defined: What You See Is What You Get

Comparing the Different Types of Binoculars

Choosing Binoculars

Using Binoculars

Trouble in Paradise: Balky Bins

Carrying Your Bins

Cleaning and Caring

Chapter 11: Choosing and Using Field Guides

Looking at Field Guides in Their Infinite Variety

Dissecting a Field Guide

Gauging the Variations Among Field Guides

In Search of the Mythical Perfect Field Guide

Using Your Field Guide

Digital Field Guides

Chapter 12: Writing It Down

Understanding the Reasons for Record-Keeping

Maintaining the Life List

Lists Breed Lists

eBird Makes Listing So Much Easier

Listers, Twitchers, and Just Plain Birders

Keeping Notebook Records

Part 4: Beyond the Backyard

Chapter 13: Migration: When Birds and Birders Get Moving

Solving the Migration Mystery

Detailing the Logistics of Migration

Exploring the Research behind Bird Migration

Migration and You

Donning Your Meteorologist Hat

Taking the Lay of the Land into Account

Hie Thee to a Hotspot!

Chapter 14: Taking a Field Trip

So, What’s a Field Trip Exactly?

Planning Your Field Trip

Dressing for Birding Success

Where the Birds Are

Using Your Field Skills

Field Trip Etiquette

Taking Precautions

When Things Go Wrong

Lining Up a Special Trip

Chapter 15: Birding by Habitat

Birding by Habitat

Habitat Types and the Birds That Love Them

Knowing What to Expect

Chapter 16: Birding Hotspots

Birding Hotspots: What and Where Are They?

Finding Hotspots

Timing Your Visit

Voices of Experience

Chapter 17: Birding Tours: On Site with a Pro

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Vive la Difference!

Questions to Ask the Tour Company

Be Prepared

Plan Ahead, Reserve Early

Rules of the Road

You Can't Take It with You: Pack Light

Final Stop

Chapter 18: Festivals and Other Events

Let's Party!

Birding Festivals

Thinking BIG!

Going to School

Spreading the Word

Part 5: Once You’re Hooked

Chapter 19: Birding That Makes a Difference

Doing Field Work That Matters

Projects That Count (Birds)

No Counting Required (But Important, Anyhow)

Helping Out with Local Projects

Going the Bird Club Route

Chapter 20: Bird Photography

Catching the Photography Bug

Gearing Up: Choosing the Proper Camera Equipment

Tackling Your Camera Settings

Lights! Camera! Action!

Framing Feathers: Composition

Miscellaneous Tips That Didn’t Fit in Anywhere Else

Editing and Organizing Bird Photos

Ethical Bird Photography

Chapter 21: Advanced Bird ID

Going the Extra Mile: Advanced Bird ID

Steering Clear of Common Pitfalls

Planning for Those Tough IDs

Letting Apps Help with Tough IDs

Throwing in the Towel

Part 6: The Part of Tens

Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Help Save Birds

Drinking Bird-Friendly Coffee

Keeping Cats Indoors

Gardening with Native Plants and Reducing Your Lawn

Avoiding Herbicides and Pesticides

Making Windows Safer

Using Less Plastic

Watching Birds and Sharing What You See

Buying a Duck Stamp

Joining a Conservation Organization

Helping Others Discover Birds

Chapter 23: Ten Frequently Asked Questions About Birds

Why Is That Bird Pecking on My Window?

There’s a Woodpecker Excavating My House Siding! Help!

A Bird Just Hit My Window! What Should I Do?

There’s a Nest on My Front Porch. Can I Move It?

I Found a Baby Bird! What Should I Do?

There’s a Completely Bald Cardinal at My Feeder. What’s Wrong with It?

There’s a Sick Bird under My Feeder. What Should I Do?

Where Have All My Hummingbirds/Goldfinches Gone?

If I Stop Feeding My Birds, Will They Starve?

There’s a Hawk at My Feeders! What Do I Do?

Index

About the Authors

Supplemental Images

Advertisement Page

Connect with Dummies

End User License Agreement

List of Tables

Chapter 4

TABLE 4-1 Bird Groups by Number

Chapter 6

TABLE 6-1 Bird Songs to Remember

Chapter 8

TABLE 8-1 Bird Food Preference Chart

Chapter 9

TABLE 9-1 Trees for a Bird-Friendly Yard

TABLE 9-2 Shrubs for a Bird-Friendly Yard

TABLE 9-3 Vines for a Bird-Friendly Yard

TABLE 9-4 Flowers for a Bird-Friendly Yard

List of Illustrations

Chapter 1

FIGURE 1-1: Archaeopteryx — a prehistoric bird in full glide.

FIGURE 1-2: Feathers of a northern mockingbird — if it ain’t got feathers, it’s...

FIGURE 1-3: Feathers help keep birds, such as this mute swan, comfortable, mobi...

Chapter 2

FIGURE 2-1: A diagram of key parts of binoculars.

Chapter 3

FIGURE 3-1: The parts of a bird as shown on a male magnolia warbler.

FIGURE 3-2: Bird-wing regions and even particular feathers have names that are ...

FIGURE 3-3: A chicken and a robin: kin under the skin.

FIGURE 3-4: How big is big? From left to top right, comparing the sizes of a wi...

FIGURE 3-5: Bird bills with their different shapes resemble the tools named. Us...

FIGURE 3-6: Birds’ feet can do specific tasks and offer clues to a bird’s ident...

Chapter 4

FIGURE 4-1: Two tall, gray birds with long bills. Great blue heron is left and ...

FIGURE 4-2: An illustration depicting several Darwin’s finches.

Chapter 5

FIGURE 5-1: A common raven, pulling up its food reward in stages.

FIGURE 5-2: An American robin, luxuriating in the bath.

FIGURE 5-3: The shuttle display flight of a male rubythroated hummingbird, perf...

FIGURE 5-4: An ovenbird at its Dutch-oven-shaped nest.

Chapter 6

FIGURE 6-1: A song sparrow, singing.

FIGURE 6-2: A northern mockingbird singing.

Chapter 7

FIGURE 7-1: Bird-friendly backyard with native plants, birdbath, shrubs, trees,...

FIGURE 7-2: American goldfinches eating seed.

FIGURE 7-3: Cooper’s hawk diving on birds at feeder.

FIGURE 7-4: This brush pile provides welcome respite for a tree sparrow and an ...

FIGURE 7-5: Eastern bluebirds nesting in a woodpecker cavity in a dead tree.

FIGURE 7-6: Dilapidated gate with native vegetation and happy wildlife.

Chapter 8

FIGURE 8-1: A Carolina wren and a song sparrow find seed in a hollow log.

FIGURE 8-2: White-throated sparrows and an evening grosbeak on a simple low bir...

FIGURE 8-3: A sick redpoll huddles near a busy tube feeder, a possible source o...

FIGURE 8-4: Hopper feeders are old favorites. A downy woodpecker (left) and a m...

FIGURE 8-5: Commonly fed seeds: black-oil sunflower, mixed seed, cracked corn, ...

FIGURE 8-6: A cylindrical mesh feeder designed for peanut halves. White-breaste...

FIGURE 8-7: A hairy woodpecker (left) and a downy woodpecker share raw suet at ...

FIGURE 8-8: Ruby-throated hummingbird feeding at trumpet vine.

FIGURE 8-9: A simple “Little Beginner” feeder, good for early spring when hummi...

FIGURE 8-10: Baltimore oriole on an orange half, which is offered on a dowel st...

FIGURE 8-11: Barn swallows are enthusiastic consumers of eggshells, tossed up o...

Chapter 9

FIGURE 9-1: Plan to watch birds while gardening.

FIGURE 9-2: Pileated woodpeckers eating sumac and greenbrier fruit.

Chapter 10

FIGURE 10-1: Porro-prism binoculars.

FIGURE 10-2: Roof-prism binoculars.

FIGURE 10-3: Fix your eyes on an object you wish to see through your binoculars...

Chapter 11

FIGURE 11-1: This range map shows where American crows can be found.

Chapter 12

FIGURE 12-1: Starting a checklist in eBird.

FIGURE 12-2: Adding an observation or finding a species.

FIGURE 12-3: There’s room to add notes!

FIGURE 12-4: The Checkmark icon keeps a running tally.

Chapter 13

FIGURE 13-1: Cape May warbler nest with seven eggs, female.

FIGURE 13-2: Red crossbill on spruce cone.

FIGURE 13-3: Red knot emaciated and bulked up.

FIGURE 13-4: Black-billed cuckoos with lighthouse.

FIGURE 13-5: Blackpoll warbler with star map.

FIGURE 13-6: American redstart leaping after a hopper.

FIGURE 13-7: Broad-winged hawks in a kettle (a soaring flock).

Chapter 14

FIGURE 14-1: Being polite and mindful of your fellow field trip participants ma...

Chapter 19

FIGURE 19-1: Juvenile barn swallows prepare for migration.

FIGURE 19-2: Christmas Bird Counters owling (Eastern screech-owl).

FIGURE 19-3: House finch and loggerhead shrike population trends.

FIGURE 19-4: A singing Kentucky warbler — a bird more often heard than seen.

FIGURE 19-5: Chimney swifts dive into a stack in autumn.

FIGURE 19-6: An orphaned American robin fledgling.

Chapter 20

FIGURE 20-1: This photo of northern cardinals tells a story. The male is feedin...

FIGURE 20-2: This photo isn’t out of focus; rather, the shutter speed setting w...

FIGURE 20-3: Although not all parts of this photo of a red-breasted nuthatch ar...

FIGURE 20-4: Which of these photos of a bald eagle in flight do you think is mo...

Chapter 21

FIGURE 21-1: A hatch-year brown-headed cowbird molting from its first real feat...

FIGURE 21-2: A gynandromorphic northern cardinal is male on one side and female...

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Foreword

Begin Reading

Index

About the Author

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Bird Watching For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies.

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number is available from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-394-29730-6 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-394-29731-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-394-29732-0 (ebk)

Foreword

The first time I read Bird Watching For Dummies, I thought I might die.

It was May of 1997, and I was huddled in a tent in the campground at Long Point Provincial Park in Ontario, where I’d come to see the park’s epic spring songbird migration. Instead of birds, when I arrived, I noticed worrisomely dark clouds piling up to the west.

My battery-powered weather radio carried an ominous warning. The staticky voice mentioned deadly lightning, winds in excess of 75 miles per hour, and one-and-a-half-inch hail already associated with the squall line. “People in the path of these storms are advised to seek shelter inside strong buildings.”

I had a tent. I pitched it quickly, securing a couple of the guy lines to the bumper of the car so I wouldn’t fly off like Dorothy bound for Oz, put most of my gear in the tent for ballast, and checked to make sure my headlamp batteries were fresh, and my raincoat and pants were handy. I’d just finished when the storm hit. It was every bit as bad as advertised — perhaps the worst such storm I’ve ever ridden out in such flimsy cover. I crouched on a folded-up rubber air mattress, hoping that it might offer some electrical protection from a nearby lighting strike.

But after a while, every terror becomes a little boring. And so, to pass the time, I pulled out the page galleys for a new book by my friend Bill Thompson III: Bird Watching For Dummies. And here’s the thing — it was so much fun that I was able to ignore thunder like an artillery barrage and wind like screaming demons. If anyone had been crazy enough to be outside, they may have wondered what sort of screwball was giggling to himself while the weather went mad.

BT3 was that kind of writer, the ideal guide for anyone new to birds and birding — friendly, witty, amusing, but also genuinely excited to share the world of birds with someone fresh. We lost Bill far too soon, and far too young, but his light touch and welcoming spirit lives on in this new edition, revised and updated by some of his closest friends. Pull up an air mattress, adopt a protective crouch, and enjoy.

Scott Weidensaul

Author of Living on the Wind and A World on the Wing

Introduction

Welcome to the second edition of Bird Watching For Dummies. As we embarked on this update, we were struck by how much has changed for bird watchers in the nearly three decades since this book was first written. It was a different world before everyone had a cell phone in their pocket, with on-demand access to an array of digital tools to help locate and identify birds. Our pastime is forever changed, and for the better, we would argue, as countless more people have joined our flock in recent years.

But one thing has stayed the same: You can read all you want about the subject of bird watching, download all the apps, and buy all the optics and gadgets, but the very best thing to do, if you want to become a bird enthusiast, is to get outside and watch some birds. This book is designed to get you started in the right direction and give you a sense of the fascination and joy that birds can bring to your life. If we’ve done our job well, reading this book will make you want to set it down, head outside, and look up!

About This Book

We want this book to appeal to bird watchers, or birders, at every level of interest and expertise. But the majority of the information that we include is aimed at encouraging the beginner to take up the hobby of bird watching, while encouraging the intermediate bird watcher to explore the fringes of advanced birding. Advanced birders can find something of value in here, too, even if it’s only that the text produces smiles of recognition.

Think of this book as a reference. As such, it will serve you for the rest of your bird-watching days. You can come back to it time after time and search its pages for answers to your most nagging questions and for advice on getting better as a birder.

A few things about this book make it different from other books on bird watching or birding (we consider the terms interchangeable):

First, it’s both fun and funny to read. We hope we give you a few laughs along the way.

Second, it’s written from our personal perspectives, so you benefit from our own real-life experiences and mistakes.

Third, this book is designed so that each chapter can stand alone content-wise, sort of like a giant buffet table of food. You can skip whole chapters that don’t interest you at present and read the juicy bits that seem appetizing. You can always come back later to sample the parts you skipped (but please remember to get a clean plate each time).

As you read through this book, you will notice the names of lots of different birds. We have chosen not to capitalize these names, except when they include a proper noun or name, such as Henslow’s sparrow, as opposed to song sparrow. Although some bird folks claim that all bird names should be capitalized, we believe (and the rules of proper English language usage concur) that to “cap” all the first letters of every bird name is not only improper, it’s also overkill. And too much capitalization can result in a bumpy ride for your eyeballs as you read through a sentence chock-full of bird names. We’ve tried to make it clear when we’re writing about the species yellow warbler and a warbler that’s colored yellow.

We don’t mention brand names of products very often in this book. The market for bird-watching products is huge, constantly growing and ever-changing. It would be folly (not to mention impossible) to try to do justice to all the companies, products, and people who are out there trying to make a living in the bird-watching world.

Foolish Assumptions

We assume that if you are a beginning bird watcher (and we assume most readers of this book are), you have a lot of questions but may feel sheepish about asking these questions of another, more experienced bird watcher. That feeling of shyness is perfectly normal and happens to almost everyone who takes up a new avocation. Jessica remembers feeling that way when she first got serious about bird watching, always worrying about asking too many questions and annoying the more experienced birders she knew. This book removes a lot of that awkwardness for you. We’re not promising that you won’t ever have to ask a bird question again, but we are sure that lots of the questions you have now will be answered by the time you read a few chapters.

We also assume that, as you learn how to be a bird watcher, you will make mistakes — not knowing how to focus binoculars properly, not knowing how to find the bird in the binoculars, not knowing where to find birds! When you first venture out in search of birds to watch, you may have a frustrating experience. Don’t worry! We’ve all been there. Bird watching is just like any other activity: the more you practice, the better you get.

What’s great about birding is that the practicing part is incredibly fun, and we assume you like to have fun! The most important thing you can do to become a really good bird watcher (other than buy this book) is to relax and enjoy the birds you see. Without even trying to absorb information, you’re gaining knowledge about the birds you watch simply by watching. How fun and easy is that?

When you positively identify your first bird species, all by yourself, and without lots of hints from a fellow birder, you realize the thrill of victory. It’s that kind of experience that has kept us bird watching for all these years, and we hope will make you a lifelong birder, too.

Icons Used in This Book

We guide you along on this birding trip with a series of icons. Think of them as roadside signs along the bird-watching highway. They alert you to upcoming tips, valuable advice, pitfalls, and even a few of our own bird-watching tales.

We’ve used this icon to note things you can do to improve your birding-watching skills.

This icon flags bird-watching terminology so you can chatter along, and it also alerts you to technical or super-nerdy information.

To draw your attention to common pitfalls, we use this icon.

When we want to point out important information to keep in mind, we flag it with this icon.

Beyond the Book

This book comes with a free Cheat Sheet that gives you some quick tips on tools to take bird watching, identifying a mystery bird, using binoculars, birding etiquette, and more. To access this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and enter “Bird Watching For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.

Where to Go from Here

This book is designed to be read in pieces and parts (though if you decide to read it from cover to cover, that’s fine too, and we’ll be flattered). If you’re a total beginner, read the initial three chapters first. If you’re already a bird watcher, you may wish to read the chapters on birding that makes a difference, writing down and organizing your observations, or taking a field trip or birding tour.

We’ve included all kinds of information to help you become a better bird watcher, no matter where you are now, skill-wise. If you become more interested in watching birds after reading this book, we’ve done our job.

Part 1

Watching Birds — A Natural Habit

IN THIS PART …

Find out what makes a bird a bird — and a bird watcher a bird watcher.

Get to know the parts of a bird.

Master binocular basics.

Acquaint yourself with field guides.

Take a bird taxonomy tour.

Learn how bird behavior and sounds help us identify birds.

Chapter 1

Birds and the People Who Love Them

IN THIS CHAPTER

Organizing birds into families and species

Organizing humans into birders or bird watchers

Connecting with your spark bird

Discovering where the birds are

Do you ever look up, see a bird in flight, and find yourself wondering what kind of bird it is? You stare at it — noting its color, its shape, the spread of its wings. You watch it flit from branch to branch and fly away. And you wonder. Maybe you describe the bird to a family member or friend who may know what it is. Or you hop online and search for birds in your area to see if you can find its picture. Or you wait, hoping to see it again just to appreciate the bird’s beauty and song. That’s bird watching. And you’re already a bird watcher. Isn’t that easy?

Unk! Ragnar See Bird!

Bird watching is an activity that comes naturally to us humans. Our ancestors watched birds — you can find their sightings painted on cave walls. Birds helped determine the seasons and were thought to predict the weather. And they provided meat for the evening feeding frenzy.

Today, bird watching (or birding) is a hobby enjoyed by millions and millions of (somewhat more advanced) people. Why? Because birds are fun to look at, birds are beautiful, many birds sing beautiful songs, and bird behavior is fascinating. Besides, today when folks want meat for their evening feeding frenzies, they can shop at supermarkets and leave the birds alone.

Yet birds still foretell the changing seasons by their northward and southward migrations. And birds sometimes have feeding frenzies of their own just before or after a blast of bad weather. So, if you want to throw out your calendar and the local meteorologist, go right ahead. You won’t need either in your cave — and you’ll still have the birds.

Wings and feathers and flight, oh my!

Research indicates that birds are living examples of the dinosaurs that once roamed Earth. One of the earliest-known birds is Archaeopteryx, discovered from fossilized remains found in Bavaria in 1851 (see Figure 1-1).

FIGURE 1-1: Archaeopteryx — a prehistoric bird in full glide.

Archaeopteryx existed about 140 million years ago and had skeletal characteristics identical to those of small dinosaurs that lived during that same time. This creature also had a toothed jaw and feathers that allowed Archaeopteryx to glide from place to place (although its main mode of transport was likely running).

Because of these features, research suggests that Archaeopteryx is one link between dinosaurs and the creatures today that are considered birds. Even though this creature didn’t have the specialized bones and flight muscles that true birds have, Archaeopteryx is considered by many to be one branch of the evolutionary tree from which all birds may have descended. The link between Archaeopteryx and birds is a greatly debated subject that gets evolutionary scientists very worked up. So, it’s best to leave this one to the folks in the white lab coats. But one thing Archaeopteryx and birds have in common that seems to give them kinship is feathers. Because, at its most basic, a bird is a creature that has feathers (see Figure 1-2) — the only type of creature that has feathers.

FIGURE 1-2: Feathers of a northern mockingbird — if it ain’t got feathers, it’s not a bird.

These feathers — along with lightweight, air-filled bones acquired through evolution — allow most birds to fly. Feathers are really highly evolved scales, like those found on reptiles such as snakes and lizards. (You can see the remnants of their reptilian ancestry on most birds’ scaly legs and feet.) Besides promoting flight, feathers (also called plumage) regulate birds’ temperature and provide physical protection while giving birds their shape and color.

Here’s a bonus obscure fact for you: A small songbird has more than 1,000 feathers on its body. A large swan, plucked by some patient soul, was found to have more than 25,000 feathers. Figure 1-3 shows a mute swan ruffling some of its 25,000 feathers.

FIGURE 1-3: Feathers help keep birds, such as this mute swan, comfortable, mobile, and beautiful.

Breaking down bird terms

Without getting too technical, you need to understand two terms that bird watchers use a lot when referring to birds: family and species. Although an ornithology professor will likely cringe, here are Dummies-approved definitions for the two terms:

A

species

of bird is defined as a group of individuals that have similar appearance, similar behavior, similar vocalizations, and that interbreed freely to produce fertile (able to breed successfully) young. When you identify a bird, you determine what species it is.

A

family

of birds is made up of species that are very similar, but don’t interbreed. You can find a more scientific definition of a bird family, but most bird watchers use this term to mean a group of birds that look, sound, and act in a similar way. For example, there are lots of different sparrow

species,

most of which belong to the sparrow

family.

Remember both terms handily because you often hear them used when bird watchers try to identify a bird. If you see a small bird zipping through your flower garden, you may know what family it belongs to (hummingbird). Later, when you get a good look at the bird, you can identify its species (ruby-throated hummingbird).

Each species of bird has two types of names: a common name and a Latin name.

The common name of a bird is the one that you’re most likely to know. Common names, such as American robin, are the currency of bird watching.

The Latin or scientific name,

Turdus migratorius

in the case of the American robin, is made up of two parts: the genus

(Turdus)

and the species

(migratorius).

Genus and species are two parts of the scientific classification system used to name all living creatures. Think of them as you would the first and last names of a person. Latin names are used to clarify the classification of birds and to help bird watchers and ornithologists (bird scientists) avoid confusion over regional and international differences in bird names. Just because they’re Latin, don’t let them scare you off. You won’t be getting a pop quiz! And most bird watchers you encounter won’t be fluent in the Latin names of birds, so you needn’t be, either.

Chapter 4 takes a closer look at the terms species, genus, and family, and how a basic understanding of bird groupings can help you become more familiar with your field guide and, ultimately, identify birds.

Bird Watching: From Guns to Binoculars

People’s fascination with birds naturally made them want to get a closer look. Until late in the 19th century (that’s the 1800s), the only accepted method of identifying a bird was to have it in your hand. And given the fact that very few birds hopped happily onto the palm, the quickest way to get a bird in the hand was to kill it and hold it there. From rocks to spears, and later, arrows, slingshots, and shotguns, once you had the bird in your hand, getting a good look at it was easy (but not very easy on the bird!).

Shotgun bird identification fell into deserved disfavor in 1934 when Roger Tory Peterson, generally considered the father of modern bird watching, published the first modern field guide. Combining black-and-white illustrations of all the birds found in the eastern half of North America with descriptive text for each species, Roger Tory Peterson’s easy-to-use system of identifying birds was based upon a concept known as a field mark — a distinctive characteristic or visual clue that’s a key to identifying a bird. Birds thus became identifiable by their most obvious features (the red crest of a cardinal, the long, pointed tail of the pintail duck) with the help of magnifying optics.

No longer are birds identified over the sights of a shotgun — now, the magnified view of the bird as seen through binoculars is all that’s needed. Unlike the low-powered opera glasses of 60 years ago, binoculars today are so advanced that, if the conditions are right, you can see the eyelashes on an egret. (Unless you know already, you’ll have to guess whether or not egrets have eyelashes.) Once separated from the shotgun, the popularity of bird watching soared, and the birds breathed a collective sigh of relief.

TAXONOMY: FROM DINOSAURS TO CHICKADEES

The method used to organize birds — that is, to decide which birds are related, which are closely related, and which are not closely related — is called taxonomy. Taxonomy has nothing to do with the Internal Revenue Service (though it can be a taxing exercise); rather, taxonomy is the method by which birds are placed in the evolutionary tree.

As birds evolved, they did so in many ways, just like a bush grows many branches from the ground, with each branch growing more branches, and so on. The birds that most closely resemble their ancient ancestors are considered the oldest of our birds and are found in the front of bird watchers’ field guides. Those birds that kept evolving (through many more branches, then smaller branches, then twigs) are considered the newest, most recently evolved birds, and they’re found near the back of field guides. Passerines (perching birds), for example, are considered fairly far advanced, and are found in the back of field guides. That group includes mostly smaller songbirds; not waterfowl, pheasants, herons, hawks, or owls, and so on. The earliest bird taxonomists used Latin to help with their classifications, and their Latin names remain the foundation of bird classification today. See Chapter 4 for more about taxonomy.

THE INFLUENCE OF SHOTGUN ORNITHOLOGY

Many bird names today still reflect the influence that shotgun ornithology held in its time. A prime example is the red-bellied woodpecker, one of North America's most common woodland birds. You’d expect a bird by that name to have a red belly. But if you go out looking for a red belly on a wild, free-flying, red-bellied woodpecker, you’ll be disappointed.

Because the first bird enthusiast to catalog this species likely shot one and then examined it in the hand, we have a name that doesn’t fit the bird. Although the lower belly feathers on most adult red-bellied woodpeckers are, in fact, tipped in red, these feathers are extremely hard to see when the bird’s belly is pressed against some tree trunk, in typical woodpecker fashion. Ol’ Mr. Trigger Happy should have named this bird the red-naped woodpecker, because that's where the red is most visible!

Taking part in the number-one spectator sport

Today in the U.S., an estimated 96.3 million people of all ages and physical abilities point their binoculars toward feathered creatures. Bird watching is second only to gardening as a favorite leisure time activity among North Americans. What’s more, bird watching is considered the number-one spectator sport in North America!

Most of these 96.3 million people are watching the birds that come to their backyard feeders, but an increasing number of bird enthusiasts are venturing beyond their backyards to find more and different birds. And non-bird-watchers are noticing. The average active bird watcher is estimated to spend more than $2,000 annually in pursuit of this hobby. Some quick math tells you that $2,000 x 96.3 million bird watchers is a lot of moolah. We bird watchers pack a significant economic wallop!

Bird watchers of a feather …

Bird watchers come in many types, from casual backyard looker to rabid, globe-trotting birder, and everything in between. We’re guessing that you’re somewhere in between. Perhaps you already feed birds, and maybe you already own a pair of binoculars, but you don’t yet consider yourself a bird watcher. Well, you’ve come to the right book.

Because you’re reading this hypnotic prose of ours, you’re already indicating an interest in the subject matter. What’s great about bird watching is that you can enjoy it almost anywhere, at any time, and at any level of involvement — always at your own pace.

Most folks who get into bird watching start by seeing birds in their backyard. Or perhaps somebody tugged their arms until they took hold of the binoculars being offered and looked at — oh my gosh! — a beautiful bird! What is it? Next comes getting a bird book, borrowing a pair of binoculars, and going out on their own to see birds. Soon they find a nearby park offering a bird walk and join in. Or they join a bird club and take some local bird trips. Maybe later they decide to go on a field trip to Florida or Texas with the club. At each point, more birds are seen and more friends made. Bird watchers can evolve much as birds have evolved.

Long gone are the days when the stereotypical bird watcher was a little old lady in tennis shoes or an absent-minded professor in a pith helmet (though these folks still exist). In those happily forgotten times, bird watchers were often the object of ridicule. The nerdy Miss Jane Hathaway portrayed in The Beverly Hillbillies probably set bird watching back several decades as a socially acceptable activity.

If you find yourself wondering what your neighbors, coworkers, or friends will think, consider this: When you show an interest in birds, chances are, more than one of those folks will say, “I never knew you were a bird watcher! I love watching birds!”

Why watch birds?

Cheap and easy fun. That’s how we like to describe bird watching. Once you’ve got some optics (binoculars) and a field guide to the birds, you’re ready to go. Unless you want to get into a private preserve, a state park, or a national wildlife refuge that has an entrance fee, or go on a guided tour, you’ve spent all you need to spend to be a bird watcher. Perhaps only botanizing is cheaper — you don’t need binoculars to identify plants.

Choosing Your Identity: Bird Watcher or Birder?

With bird watching’s rise in popularity, a minor controversy has simmered about the proper noun or verb used to describe it: Are you birding or bird watching when you use binoculars to look at an avian creature? Do you tell your friend: “I’m a bird watcher” or “I’m a birder”? The real answer lies within your soul, or at least it’s a matter of personal preference.

When the Thompson family started our bird magazine, they chose the name Bird Watcher’s Digest, because that’s what we are: watchers of birds — and we listen to them, too. We use the terms bird watcher and birder interchangeably in our editorial material.

For those who prefer exact definitions, most bird enthusiasts make these generic distinctions:

A

bird watcher

is someone who prefers to watch and enjoy birds. This person may be primarily interested in, but not at all limited to, their backyard for involvement with birds.

Bird watcher

is the preferred term in Great Britain, which has, per capita, the most bird watchers of any place on Earth.

A

birder

is perhaps more avid, more likely to travel to watch birds, and interested in seeing or listing as many birds as they can in a given outing, day, or year.

A third category for a person who studies birds is ornithologist. Ornithology is the scientific study of birds, and an ornithologist is a practitioner of ornithology. Much of the knowledge we have about birds has come from the work of ornithologists. But bird watchers make contributions to this science, too. See Chapter 21 for some examples.

But why get hung up on terminology? Use whichever term you prefer, or use all three, or come up with a new term! Here’s a better idea: Go watch some birds!

Meeting your spark bird

For many bird watchers and birders, there’s one bird that provided the catalyst, set the hook, was a spark (choose your metaphor) to begin that person’s interest in birds. It varies wildly just among the authors of this book:

For Jessica, it was the pileated woodpecker that sent her running for a field guide for the first time to figure out what the heck she was looking at.

For Dawn, who was taking a college ornithology course at the time, it was the common grackles she spotted in her neighborhood.

Julie says it was a blue-winged warbler, spotted when she was eight. She heard it bathing and jungle-crawled up to watch it.

Our predecessor Bill Thompson III’s spark bird was relatively nondescript, the American coot. Here’s how it happened:

I was sprung from school on a spring Friday and was allowed to accompany the local ladies’ bird-watching club, of which my mom was a member. Because I wasn’t interested in the birds they sought, I ran down the dirt road in the area where we were birding to see how many rocks I could throw off the bridge into Rainbow Creek. Just as I raised the first projectile into the air, I noticed something moving below. It was some kind of bird — perhaps a duck. I knew the gals up the road had yet to see a duck that day, so I ran to tell them of the sighting. They were incredibly thrilled! Coots in spring were not that common then in southeastern Ohio. I was surprised and a little embarrassed by the profuse shower of praise from the women. Soon they had me drumming up all sorts of birds. I was proud to point out birds to them. The following month, when I got a Friday off for another bird-watching trip, I didn’t throw a single rock. I was hooked on birds.

A spark bird for you may be the scarlet tanager that your high school science teacher pointed out, or the red-tailed hawk shown to you by a scout leader. Better yet, it may be the singing male warbler you found yourself. Because you’re reading this book, you may have found your spark bird already. If not, we envy you because finding your spark bird is a wonderful experience, and the start of a great adventure.

Becoming a good bird watcher

Two ingredients that a successful bird watcher has are a natural curiosity about the world and a healthy dose of enthusiasm. Both of these are invaluable. Why?

The natural curiosity leads you to do things you’d never do otherwise, such as get up at dawn on a beautiful May morning to hear the birds start singing. And the healthy dose of enthusiasm keeps you going on all those days when you’ve got more thumbs than there are birds to see. In that case, you make the most of the birds you can see.

Both of these admirable traits are great ones to pass along to friends who are beginners. It’s the natural legacy and responsibility of all birders to pass the torch of curiosity and enthusiasm to those who come later.

Where the Birds Are

Birds are found almost everywhere. You’ll read this statement repeatedly in this book. And here’s another gem that bears repeating: Birds have wings, and they tend to use them.

What these statements mean is that anywhere you’re likely to be (outdoors, of course) you’ll encounter birds. Going to the Arctic Circle on New Year’s Day? Keep an eye out for snowy owls and snow buntings. Going to Antarctica for the 4th of July? You’ll be seeing penguins and other seabirds. Stepping out your backdoor to get some fresh air? No matter where you live, birds will be there, too. Better have your binocs handy.

The point is that you can be watching birds anytime and anywhere. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be doing exactly that.

Chapter 2

Tools That Take You Up Close and Personal

IN THIS CHAPTER

Mastering binoc basics

Getting focused

Your guide to the field

As a bird watcher, you need very little in the way of gear or stuff to enjoy bird watching. In fact, we recommend only two primary tools that are essential to getting the most out of this activity: binoculars and a field guide to the birds.

The only other thing that you need is a place to watch birds, and that can be almost any place. Birds are among the planet’s most common and widespread creatures. (Beetles are number one.) Walk out your front door, drive to work, and look out the window — you’ve probably had birds accompanying you the whole trip. It’s hard to be someplace where you’re not a step or two away from a perky (or pesky) bird. Birds are almost everywhere.

Opting for the Optics Option

Okay. If you see birds everywhere, why do you need binoculars or other optical help?

Well, let’s clarify one thing about optics: You don’t need to have binoculars and other optics to watch birds. If you’re satisfied and utterly fulfilled by looking at a bird in a tree 50 yards away and saying to yourself, “Hey, there’s a bird!” you don’t need optics.

But if you’re like most members of our species (hard-wired to be curious about the world around us), you’ll want to identify that bird. Is it a sparrow or a finch? Or just a blurry-yellow-thingy-with-wings? How will you know if you see it again?

Binoculars let you get a closer look. And a closer look lets you see clues to the bird’s identity. With these clues (and a field guide!), you can solve the mystery of just about any bird’s identity.

We don’t want to show disrespect to the millions of people who are perfectly happy to see birds only at their backyard feeders. That’s where most of us start out with birds. And the birds you invite for dinner can put on quite a show.

But let’s face it, even birds that appear at your feeders have names, and you won’t know many of them without a good look at the bird and a corresponding look at a good field guide. And beyond your backyard is a whole world of amazing birds just waiting to introduce themselves when you get them in your sights. We guarantee that if you decide to become a bird watcher, you’ll be much happier looking at birds through binoculars.

Bird watchers use many different terms for their binoculars. Two of the most common are binocs and bins. Generically, binoculars and the scopes (see Chapter 10) used for birding are called optics, which is easier to say than optical equipment. (We also have heard bird watchers use some unprintable names for their binoculars, often after they missed seeing a bird because their binocs were fogged or of poor quality.)

Beg, borrow, or buy some binocs

If you’re just starting out and you’re unsure about investing in some optical equipment (after all, you may decide you don’t like this bird stuff despite its obvious appeal), we suggest you beg or borrow a pair of binoculars (we frown upon stealing) from a friend, relative, scout leader, or local bird club. Many libraries and metro parks have them available to check out these days, too.

Jessica started out with a pair of heavy old bins that were her grandfather’s. These old binocs were sentimental and offered a better-than-naked-eye view of birds — enough to help her get hooked on birding. Once it was clear that she was obsessed, er … committed, to bird watching, her family indulged her one holiday with a mid-priced binocular recommended specifically for new birders. (They are now her sentimental bins from her early birding days that she keeps stationed at her bedroom window.)

Somebody you know has some binoculars lying around that you can borrow. (Check with that neighbor who has nosebleed seats at the ball game.) Ask to use the binoculars for just a few hours. If you can borrow them for a few days or a weekend, that’s better yet. You’ll need a bit of time to get used to them. Take the binocs outside, weather permitting, and practice by looking at a distant stationary object. (If you do unearth some old optics, be sure to clean the lenses before using them. See Chapter 10 for more details on how to use and care for your binoculars.)

When buying binoculars, you have two rules to live by:

Get the best you can afford.

Quality and cost are very connected in the world of bird-watching optics: The more you pay, the better quality you get. All buying decisions should be so easy.

Make sure the binoculars you get are very comfortable to use.

They should feel good in your hands, be easy to raise and lower, and be easy to focus. They should NOT leave you with a dizzy feeling or a headache after you lower them from your eyes. (This is eye strain caused by out-of-focus or poorly aligned binoculars.)

An inexpensive pair of beginner’s binoculars can cost from $50 to $100. If you buy in the upper range (near $100), chances are good that you’ll have a decent optical start to your bird watching. But we guarantee that if you buy a pair of $50 binoculars (or cheaper ones), one of two things will happen:

You’ll give up bird watching because you can’t see the birds well enough (probably due to the budget optics).

You’ll love bird watching so much that you’ll want to get a better pair of binoculars at the first opportunity. We’ve seen this happen countless times.

The next level of quality in binoculars is the $100 to $300 range. You can get very nice binoculars in this range, especially at the upper end. If you plan to buy binoculars, check out Chapter 10, where we cover important issues that you need to consider.

Using binoculars

Using binoculars to look at birds is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. But before you try to look at a bird, you need to get focused — literally. Because not all eyes are created equal, binoculars are designed to be adjusted to accommodate your needs. We promise that reading the next section will take longer than actually adjusting your binoculars!

Keep an eye on Figure 2-1 as we walk you through how to handle your binocs.

FIGURE 2-1: A diagram of key parts of binoculars.

Setting the eye space

Some people have wide-set eyes, while others have close-set eyes. All good binoculars are made in a way that allows the two optical barrels to pivot —fold and open — so that the space between them can be adjusted for the user’s inter-pupillary distance (IPD) — the space between their eyes. When using binoculars, it’s key that you get the two halves of the binocs the right distance apart to get the maximum image size. This spacing should match the amount of space between your eyes.

That statement may seem overly obvious to you, but you’d be surprised how many bird watchers use binocs for years without getting the eye space aligned properly for their eyes. (If you’ve ever appeared in a Picasso painting and both of your eyes are on the same side of your nose, please ignore this section.)

To set the eye space of your binoculars correctly, push the two barrels together so they’re at their minimum spacing. Raise the optics to your eyes and slowly expand the space between the barrels only as far as necessary to obtain the maximum amount of view or image space. If the barrels are too close together, you’ll be able to see through only one barrel, or you’ll only see portions of both barrels. (Not only that, but the image area you see will be circular rather than oval, and you may be able to see your hands or lots of black space.) If the barrels are too far apart, you will see two separate image circles with a black area in between.

If you’ve got the proper eye space for your eyes, the image area will appear to be a wide oval and you will notice the large, clear image space.

Positioning the eyecups

Surrounding each ocular lens (the one you hold toward your eyes), is a plastic ring that can be pulled or swiveled up to increase the distance between your eyeball and the lens. Conversely, it can be pushed or swiveled down to decrease the distance. Those who do not wear glasses when they use binoculars usually prefer these plastic rings (often referred to as eyecups) to be extended, partially or fully. (Partial extension is not possible with eyecups that fold and unfold.) Those who do wear glasses while using binoculars usually prefer the eyecups to be in the lowest position, since their spectacles provide sufficient distance between the ocular lens of the binocular and their eyeball.

Using the diopter: The eye equalizer

If you are certain that you have the same vision in your right and left eyes (perhaps because you wear glasses or contact lenses or have had cataract surgery), you can skip the next paragraph.

Excluding those with corrected vision, almost everyone has one eye that is stronger than the other. Many people are near-sighted or far-sighted, but few have equal acuity. If your eyes aren’t a perfectly matched 20/20, you may have a difficult time using binoculars because you can’t focus clearly. We can help you with that.