Walk with me for a moment

Over the past two years I've found myself very interested in bird watching, also called birding. It started sort of by accident I would say. In an effort to spruce up the backyard, a bird feeder was introduced to attract some of the local birds. What I didn't realize was just how much I'd learn about the birds in the region, and how much this new hobby would grow on me.

First impressions

I would have to say that from the beginning when the first birds started showing up, I was hooked. There were common birds such as various sparrows like the Chipping Sparrow - eBird and the Northern Cardinal - eBird which though shows up frequently is a favorite of mine. Cardinals are a real treat on a grey winter day, with their vibrant red feathers offering a nice change of scenery. Occasionally, a Blue Jay - eBird would make an appearance. Though they often avoided the feeder, and stuck to food that had fallen on the ground.

Rare birds really do brighten up your day

As I gained more knowledge in birding, the types of birds I started to attract changed as well. Two that I'm most proud of are having attracted a Baltimore Oriole - eBird who in particular loved a flower that was planted in the yard and could care less about the feeders. Another great sight that is very common but took some knowledge to bring to a feeder was the American Goldfinch - eBird. These in particular were tough as they prefer a type of food called thistle. Once this type of food was made available, a few families of Goldfinches regularly stopped by my yard.

Someone always has to ruin the fun

This year I had a bit of what I'd call a bully enter the feeding area. The Common Grackle - eBird turned out to be quite the troublemaker at the feeders. They often arrived in large groups, up to 20 birds at a time, and would work together to push all the other birds away to have the feeders to themselves. What I ended up doing was taking down the feeders for about two weeks to give them the impression food was no longer available in my yard. They slowly moved on and stayed away for the rest of the season, most likely they had found another reliable food source.

Items you may want if you are interested in birding

Throughout this post I've linked a site called eBird. This site is helpful as it has high resolution photos and bird calls, as well as region maps. If you are more of a paper in your hands type of person, you may want to see if there is a field guide available for your region or state for birds. These are very convenient when watching birds, and are often broken into bird colors for easy lookup. They'll usually have helpful information such as what type of seed a bird may be most interested in, which can help ensure repeated visits if you find yourself particularly interested in that bird. You may also find items like binoculars handy if you would like a close up view of the birds you are observing. Many wild birds are timid of humans, so keeping your distance and still getting a good view is the best way to approach this hobby. If you find yourself to be interested in photography, you'll most likely benefit from a digital camera with a good optical zoom. This means the lens itself is doing the zooming, and the camera isn't digitally zooming. This will help you maintain a good picture but still keep your distance to keep birds still. That said I'd still recommend a camera that can take multiple photos. Birds jump and flap their wings, so a burst of photos may be the best approach if trying to get a few pictures.

I hope you may find an interest in birding after reading this post. You may be surprised by what is in your area. Being more connected with nature, even if just observing birds in your backyard, can be a good way to get away from the busyness of life too. A summer day spent in the backyard watching birds never hurt anyone I'd think!

Later gator