The Truly Fascinating World of Bird Watching
Sunday, 07.01.2007, 10:42am (GMT)
Birds are the most visible form of wildlife, they are found in every
part of the world that is not permanently covered by ice, and you can
see them in any weather, any time of day or night, anywhere you go.
Whether you live in the country or the city, there are birds nearby,
835 species of birds spend at least part of the year in North America.
You can go out looking for birds or attract them to your home. Birding
is one of the fastest-growing outdoor activities all around the world.
The Verb ‘To Bird' would serve as an excellent jumping off point for a
feature, which highlights the growing popularity of birding.
More than 70 million Americans are feeding and watching backyard birds.
Success in bird watching is, to a large extent, based on location,
either by venturing to locations or habitats where birds are plentiful,
or by devising ways to attract birds to your own back yard. Birds seen
at a distance may be enjoyable to watch, but the true excitement of the
hobby is greatly enhanced when you can see the birds up very close.
Some of the most useful tools that enhance your bird-watching
experience are those that makes birds easier to see in striking detail.
There are numerous ways to participate in the hobby of birding. Aside
from simply viewing birds in nature, avid enthusiasts engage in
numerous other activities.
Some of those may include: feeding birds, providing nesting sites or
birdhouses, growing specialized plants and gardens to attract birds,
traveling to nature sanctuaries and other bird-watching locales,
keeping lists and notes on birds seen in the wild, making diagrams and
sketches and spending hours trying to snap the perfect photograph of a
favorite bird species.
In order to enhance your beautiful experience of bird watching in
winter one can learn bird’s song. Birds’ strongest senses are sight and
hearing, and they have evolved ways to communicate and to recognize
their own species by using signals based on those two senses.
Because we are also creatures of sight and sound, we can tap right into
all the fascinating distinctions of color and shape that birds embody,
and just as naturally we can appreciate the sounds that are so
important in their lives. As you begin to recognize bird songs, your
own backyard will become a much more interesting place.
For me, it was like gaining supernatural vision, being able to see
through the leaves and around buildings. I was amazed at how many birds
were all around me and how much I had been missing out on.
To broaden your bird-watching experience beyond your own backyard,
consider incorporating some bird-rich locales into your next vacation.
Serious bird enthusiasts actually plan trips around visiting bird
sanctuaries, nature parks and other natural locations where they can
view birds in large numbers, in diversity of species and in their
native habitats.
Traveling to a region of the country other than the one in which you
live will allow you to see species you may have never seen before for
e.g.
• The southeastern Arizona Mountains known as "sky islands" and in
particular the Chirachua mountains are home to many impressive species
such as the acorn woodpecker
• One of the most distinctive attractions in this area, however, is the
diversity of hummingbirds. As many as 14 different species may be
observed here. The large magnificent hummingbird can only be found in
the Southwest.
Some of the basic tips for bird watching are:
• Try to observe the birds so they don't know you are there. Move
slowly, make as little noise as possible, and keep your distance.
• Going too close to a nest or repeatedly scaring a bird off its nest
can cause the parents to abandon their nest leaving the eggs vulnerable
to predators. Do not touch the eggs or young birds.
• Avoid trampling fragile natural areas to get a closer look. Stay on paths and trails.
• Don't litter.
Now once you have started on the bird watching its important to build a
bird house, start the proper bird-feeding all year around, provide them
with water either through bird bath or providing water specially in
extreme weathers. In this way the birds would be attracted and would
keep coming back to the backyard.
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