Birding or Birdwatching - A Very Enjoyable Pastime

"birding"

The premier Lens about birds, birding & birdwatching for birders

Birding or birdwatching is a hobby concerned with the observation and study of birds (the study proper is termed ornithology). The term "birding" is of American origin; "birdwatching" is (or more correctly, was) the commonly used word in the United Kingdom and Ireland and by non-birders in the United States. Since visual observation is routinely complemented with auditory observation, the term "birding" is more accurate, and is growing in usage, particularly among devotees of the hobby.

Are you a New Birder?

Birdwatching and photography are two of America's favorite hobbies. And as with any hobby, there's lots to learn.

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Birdwatching starts, simply, with a habit of looking.

Birdwatching starts, simply, with a habit of looking. You let birds into your life a little at a time. You remember bird names as you would the names of people you've enjoyed meeting. And if you share your looking and listening with other people, so much the better.

Birding with Kids

Attracting different species of birds often requires different types of bird seed and other food. Hummingbirds are attracted to red, pink and orange flowers, they especially like trumpet vines or other tubular-flowered plants, they are also very attracted to hummingbird feeders filled with sugar water or red sweetened kool-aid.

100 Hot Books On Amazon Canada

Birdwatching - A Great Activity for Kids: There isn't a better nature-oriented activity for kids than birdwatching.
Bird Watching with Children: This page is useful for those who are involved with home schooling. "Children schooled at home can turn this hobby into a fun lesson in natural history and science."

Birding In Vancouver

My Hometown

The George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary The Reifel Refuge, as it is commonly called by birders, is located at the mouth of the Fraser River west of Ladner.

It is one of the best local sites for birding, especially for the beginner, since many of its feathered residents are tame enough to get very close looks. Reifel is worth a visit any time of year. Its ponds are full of ducks and shorebirds in early spring, and the diverse shrubs and trees pull in migrant songbirds from kilometres around. Summer is quieter, with most of the waterfowl gone except for the ubiquitous mallards and geese and their families, but birders scan the muddy shores for errant Siberian sandpipers in July and August. The high point of the Reifel year is the Snow Goose festival in early November when thousands of geese carpet the fields and sat marshes.

Midwinter is waterfowl season, but two species of roosting night birds often steal the show--tiny Northern Saw-whet Owls are often found sleeping in the fir trees and this is the only place in the province to see Black-crowned Night-Herons. Call 946-6980 for more information about the sanctuary.
George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary

Birding Link Directory

Where Do You Want to Go Birding Today?: Information about birds and birding worldwide. Endemic and specialty bird information for many countries; photographs and links to checklists and other resources.
Fat Birder: News, comprehensive worldwide birding links, and reviews.
Birding the World: Don Roberson's detailed guide to birding in each of the world's biogeographic regions.
BirdChat Quiz: Stephane Moniotte's site with quiz birds, results of past quizzes, and photographs.
Ornifolks: Network of US birders who share trip expenses to bird distant places as economically as possible. Newsletter and trip reports from around the world.
Bird Links to the World: New (24 Oct. 2005): you can now search a fully indexed database of birding trip reports containing more than 10,000 birding reports from all around the world.

Comprehensive collection of links related to birds, birding, and birders, divided by geographic location.
Ocean Wanderers: Seabird news, pelagic birding around the world, annotated lists of seabirds and marine mammals, photo gallery, photo quiz, list of identification articles, and links.
Interpretive Birding Bulletin: Newsletter for understanding bird behavior in North America and Australia, with sample articles.
Birding on the Net: Recent messages of birding e-mail groups, rare bird alerts, artwork, checklists, news, and links.
Surfbirds: World birding news, identification and bird finding articles, photographs, sketches, and trip reports.
Birding.com: Photos, songs, birding hot spots, checklists, links, and advice for new and backyard birders.
The Birding Home: Logs of birders' observations from around the world.
BirdingPal: Worldwide list of contacts, grouped by location, who are willing to help travelling birdwatchers finf the hot spots of their area and often for free.
International Migratory Bird Day: Annual event held the second Saturday in May. Brief information about the event and online store.
About Birding/Wild Birds: Articles and extensive links.
Bird Forum: Forums for discussion of birds, birding, and bird photography worldwide. Includes photo gallery and trip reports.
GORP - Birding: Articles, guides to sites throughout the world, species information, resources, and links of interest to birders.
WorldTwitch: Guide to finding rare birds around the world.
Surfbirder: A search engine for birds and birding.
Birding in BC: Birding in BC is a starting place for birding information for British Columbia, Canada. This web site features a birders discussion forum, links to birding newsgroups, articles and book reviews, checklists, regional hotspots, photo gallery, weather reports, and visiting birder information
Sweden's Birding Hot Spots: Where do you want to go birding in Sweden today?

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Other Birding Lens

Once you start feeding birds,

you'll probably want to identify

who is coming to visit.

Equipment used for birding includes

binoculars,a blank notebook,

and one or more good field guides.

Birding with Grandma: Take your grandchildren birdwatching and you will be giving them a lifetime ticket to the theater of nature.
Birding the World with Grandma: With about 10,000 species of birds in the world we have a lot of birding to do. Please join me on this journey of 10,000 birds!

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Excellent Birding Products

10% off Amazon's Prices on over 900,000 Books!

Identify Yourself: The 50 Most Common Birding Identification Challenges

by Bill Thompson III

Written by the experts at Bird Watcher's Digest, Identify Yourself gives beginning and intermediate bird watchers a helping hand with some of the most confounding identification challenges -- birds that are commonly encountered but difficult to tell apart

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 10/11/2008)

Sibley's Birding Basics

by David Allen Sibley

This book introduces readers to the basic information that underlies the techniques of modern bird identification. It is a beginner's guide to the concepts and tools of bird identification; topics such as molt, feather wear, shape, structure, and feather

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 10/11/2008)

Celestron Noble 8X32 Compact Waterproof Binoculars with carrying case

A 'must have' for all birders.

Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 10/11/2008)

Backyard Bird Watching for Kids: How to Attract, Feed, and Provide Homes for Birds

by George H. Harrison, Kit Harrison

Book Review

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 10/11/2008)

Attract Wild Birds - How to Get More Backyard Birds to Your Garden or Bird Feeders

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DVD's about Birds

10% off Amazon's Prices on over 900,000 Books!

Birds, Birds, Birds! An Indoor Birdwatching Field Trip DVD Video Bird and Bird Song Guide

Amazon Price: $21.99 (as of 10/11/2008)

Nature - Birds

Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 10/11/2008)

Nature - Never Looked So Good Set (Pandas/Bears/Dogs/Horses/Chimpanzees/Birds)

Amazon Price: $26.99 (as of 10/11/2008)

Alligators & Birds of the Everglades

Amazon Price: $35.95 (as of 10/11/2008)

The Children's DVD Encyclopedia!: Flowers, Plants & Trees/Birds & Rodents

Amazon Price: $6.98 (as of 10/11/2008)

Robert Bateman Bird Books

The next step is to broaden your birding experience beyond your own backyard.Plan a trip to a bird sanctuary, national park and other locations where you can see birds in large numbers.Wherever you go,never harm the birds and always respect other birders.

Bateman's Backyard Birds

by Robert Bateman

Featuring dramatic, detailed, and scientifically accurate color illustrations by the acclaimed wildlife artist Robert Bateman, this beautiful book is written on a level that can be enjoyed by older children as well as by adults who are newcomers to bird w

Amazon Price: $11.69 (as of 10/11/2008)

Birds

by Robert Bateman

Amazon Price: (as of 10/11/2008)

Quotations about Birds

Those little nimble musicians of the air, that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them to the shame of art. ~Izaak Walton

Birding Magazines

Typically speaking, the hobby of bird watching has not had a very good press. Often seen to be the hobby of the geek, it is little known that there are actually some celebrity fans who don their binoculars to look at birds of the feathered variety. Former US president Jimmy Carter enjoyed relaxing with nature while bird watching, as did former UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson. It is also a little known fact that Ian Fleming's most famous creation, James Bond, was named after a famous ornithologist of the same name. Suddenly the hobby seems much cooler%u2026..!