Are you possibly interested in birdwatching? Below I have written an article to help you get started. Okay, so I would like to introduce you all to bird watching. Below I am going to include some resources that I have come across in this last year of birding. Movies to watch for inspiration: The Big Year Amazon Instant Video ~ Jack Black amazon/dp/B0073Q0DZG/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_T7r7sb1896PMG Birders: The Central Park Effect Amazon Instant Video ~ Jonathan Franzen amazon/dp/B00B42QONA/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_a9r7sb1JDZZPQ Adventures in Birdwatching Amazon Instant Video ~ Ken Dial amazon/dp/B000RW91XI/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_M9r7sb153ZQN9 Music for inspiration: The Lord God Bird by Sufjan Stevens youtube/watch?v=I-GDRP8eAtg Blackbird by The Beatles youtube/watch?v=C3xdeatlwYk Talking Bird by Deathcab for Cutie youtube/watch?v=63HHJmgs6Hc Field Guides (I highly recommend smartphone field guides for many reasons that I wont get into. If you dont have a smartphone then your birdwatching experience is going to be greatly hindered.) My favorite field guide app is the Audubon Birds Pro App. This app will cost you $14.99 which I know is super pricey for an iphone app, but think about all of the fun it will enable you to have for just under 15 bucks, dont get cheap! The reason that I like this app above all others is because it will let you search for the recently sighted birds in your current location. This is super handy for brand new birders who are not familiar with migratory patterns of different bird species (and those who have no idea what I just said). When you search for the birds in your location it tells you what species have been sighted, the exact location that they were sighted, and the date and time they were sighted. This information is really helpful because birds usually hang out in the same general area and make it their home. If you go to the location that a bird was recently sighted the chances are you are likely to see it for your self. This application also allows you to make lists of the birds that you have seen, upload photographs of your sightings, and make notes in a journal about your sighting. Other applications really fail at this point severely. There is another application that lets you do this, but it is a stand alone application that depends on another application for field guide information. https://itunes.apple/us/app/audubon-birds-pro/id333227386?mt=8 If you for whatever reason want a different app then I would recommend a pair of applications. iBird pro and iBird pro journal. These are more expensive and not as good, but they are second best. ibird/app/android/ibird-pro/ Binoculars, Cameras, and Lenses Besides a good field guide the most important thing for you to have in order to bird watch is a good set of binoculars and/or a camera with a telephoto lens. I do have to say that I get a lot more enjoyment out of bird watching by taking photographs of the birds because I then can share a part of my experience with others through social media. However, a camera a lens setup is much more expensive then just a binocular setup. For an entry-level set of binoculars I would highly recommend Bushnell Falcon 7x35 Binoculars amazon/dp/B00004TBLW/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_cus7sb0MEVVN7EAE only $25 The “Insta focus” feature on these specs are essential! Do not try to buy a set of binoculars without this feature. I cant stress this enough. Slightly higher quality set of binoculars would be Bushnell PowerView Super High-Powered Surveillance Binoculars 12x50mm only $55 amazon/dp/B000051ZO5/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_7ws7sb0H70PB6ETQ These will put you a little closer to the bird, includes the insta focus feature and are built a little better. A caution about binoculars: be careful to not buy anything over 12x because it will be too shaky for you to be able to hold steady on the bird you are trying to watch. Plus you need a little wider field of vision to spot the bird. If the lens is too zoomed in then you will have difficulty spotting it in the trees. Also, stay away from variable zoom binoculars and binocular/camera combos (these suck!). They are not built as well and the image is not as clear. For cameras please be prepared to spend at least $1000 total to get setup initially, especially if you dont already own any camera equipment. Some of you may have what I call an “all in one” type digital camera and though you may technically be able to take zoomed in photos of birds with these they unfortunately will always produce sub-par pictures. I would recommend either Canon or Nikon brand DSLRs. There are way too many models of cameras to even begin to tell you the pros and cons of each model so I will suggest an old used ebay model of each brand, and a new more expensive entry-level model that you could buy at target or walmart. If you currently own a DSLR (a big digital camera that you can take off and add new lenses to... not just screw an attachment to a built in lens), then just use the current camera you have. Here are a few recommendation. Like I said before there are many cameras that can be used for bird watching and in fact I use a couple that I didnt even list (Canon 7d and Canon 20d). Nikon d90 (used ebay) $350.00 Nikon d3200 (new target) $599.99 Canon 50d (used ebay) $350.00 Canon t3i (new target) $599.99 Camera Lenses The lens that you have on your camera is actually more important than the camera itself when it comes to bird photography. I am going to suggest a few ENTRY-LEVEL lens (these are by no means pro at all, so dont judge, but they will get the job done for beginners). Remember if you have a nikon you need to buy nikon brand or nikon compatible lenses, the same goes for Canon. The lenses are not interchangeable. Nikon Nikkor AF 70-300mm F4.0-5.6 D ED (Used ebay) $125 Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR (new target) $399.95 Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM (new Amazon) $155 Canon Sigma DG 150-500 mm F/5.0-6.3 APO HSM (used ebay) $700 Keep in mind that you will need a lens that is at least 300mm zoom because birds are small and way up in the trees, so anything less than 300mm will come up short. Also, be aware that you will need to purchase a camera bag $50, Memory Cards $40, Memory Card reader $20, tripod with pistol grip ball head $50, extra camera battery $50... This is a pricey initial investment, but after you spring for all of the stuff it is mostly free! Backyard Birdwatching Gear Birdscapes Clear Window Feeder homedepot/p/Birdscapes-Clear-Window-Feeder-348/202957018 These are super fun because the birds fly right to your window to eat. Perky Pet Carriage Bird Feeder homedepot/p/Perky-Pet-Carriage-Bird-Feeder-310/100663121?N=5yc1vZc7o3 The best cheap hanging seed feeder. Suet Station Feeder homedepot/p/Cedar-Works-Suet-Station-Feeder-100080653/203271316 These attract nuthatches, woodpeckers, and other clingers. Perky Pet Deluxe Chalet Bird Feeder homedepot/p/Perky-Pet-Deluxe-Chalet-Bird-Feeder-50144/100663126?N=5yc1vZc7o3 If you want to get a little more fancy. Cedar Works Bird Bath homedepot/p/Cedar-Works-2-in-1-Bird-Bath-or-Feeder-100080628/203271314 Birds love water! Buy two of these. Use one for water and the other for seeds. Some birds will only feed off of a flat platform. Feeder Pole homedepot/p/Perky-Pet-Bird-Feeder-Pole-and-Hook-72/100169283?N=5yc1vZc7pa Buy a bunch of these and hang one feeder on each around your yard. Get Started! Well, I hope this helps get you started on your new interest in bird watching. Just going out keep your ears open (80% of bird watching happens from listening rather than seeing) and your eyes peeled on the trees. Google search your area for “Bird lists” in your city or area. When you do this it will usually pull up results of good birding locations (although I have found the audubon app to be very helpful in this area), and commonly sighted birds in your area. Please post your pictures so we can all enjoy the little treasures you find hidden in the trees!
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:10:30 +0000
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