Birdwatching tours or day trips offer opportunities for birdwatchers to find new bird species to take pictures of them for studying, business or even a hobby.
Whether you’re a new birdwatcher or looking to improve your skills to be a professional, this article is for you. I will provide you with some of the essential bird-watching tips, equipment, and techniques to get more benefits and enjoyment from your birding experiences.
Bird-Watching Tips – Technics and equipements
Keep focused on this article which I will teach you some of the essential techniques for birdwatching to make your birding trips more effective:
1 – Step Outside
If you are deciding to spot birds you have to go out of your home where many types can be found in Backyards, especially if there is a birdfeeder that attracts the Neighborhood’s birds. So keep the birdfeeder always full of seeds and keep observing it looking for new species.
You can fill up the birdfeeder with bird seeds or sunflower seeds and don’t forget water because it also attracts birds, then you can use some tricks such as playing bird songs using a subwoofer, it is an effective tip to make birds appear but many people don’t prefer to use it because it is a kind of tricks to birds.
2 – Become a Morning Person
The morning especially the sunrise time is the time when birds are most active, as they wake up, go out, and start their day by singing and flying looking for food. The opposite of noon as I advise you to avoid it because birds are least active at this time, they go under trees to relax.
So you will use this feature to your advantage by waking up and going out in the early morning to observe different species and their songs will help you to spot their places.
If you don’t love to wake up in the early morning, I’m sure you will not enjoy your birding because it will be exhausting for you, so some energy drinks will be helpful.
3 – Seek Out Different Locations
Observing birds in your backyard will make you see a lot of species but they’re limited and you will see the same every day. That’s why if you want to see more different species you have to seek out different locations.
Each bird prefers a place to sit as some birds prefer to stay in tall trees, some of them prefer to stay between herbs, some of them prefer twigs, some of them can be found near residential communities and others can be found in far places of residential communities such as forests.
So, seeking out different locations for birdwatching will help you to explore diverse bird habitats and observe diverse bird species in addition the behavior of birds you see in backyards is not the same as birds living in open areas such as deserts, forests, and mountains.
4 – Get a Birding Guide
When you travel to another city or country getting a guide for birdwatching is essential because he knows their habitats where to find birds, and the best times to find them so it will be easy for you to find your targeted species, you have only to follow the guide.
Birding guides are knowledgeable also as they will provide you with information about a variety of bird species in addition they can identify birds only by sight or sounds, So the guide is very helpful and makes things easy for educational birdwatchers.
While accompanying the guide you will have access to some restricted birdwatching sites. Guides often have access to these places or know how to get the necessary permits, allowing you to explore and you will be one of the minority that reach these places that may are not open to the public.
5 – Connect With Local Birders
Connecting with local birders will give you local knowledge as they will follow you to the best spots to find new species in addition to providing info about your targeted birds such as their habitats, habits, and seasonal patterns.
If you have contact with a local birder you can organize group birding outings to maximize your enjoyment together while observing your targeted birds, and you will exchange your knowledge.
You can build building friendships by attending birding events, joining local birding clubs or organizations, and participating in online birding forums or social media groups, this will help you to have direct contact with other birders in different areas.
6 – Explore With Birding Apps
Birding apps will benefit everyone during the birdwatching trip as you can identify every bird you meet easily by your taken photos, audio records, or description you can also upload the bird photos to Google Lens.
Many birding apps provide range maps and information on seasonal occurrences of bird species which allows you to know where to find your targeted birds and make your plans before going on the trip.
Instead of carrying bulky field guides or reference books you can install a birding app and take it with you in your pocket everywhere, this helps you to identify the birds once you see it. and some apps work offline so, you will use them even if you’re in an area where no internet.
7 – Invest in Birding Binoculars
Investing in materials such as Binoculars is one of the best bird-watching tips you can do which you will have a clear vision of the bird while observing it.
When you have a binocular you will easily spot birds in their places even if they’re so far in their nests or above a mountain and you will have a clear vision that allows you to observe the details of their movements and behavior.
If you have a binocular you will not doubt the birds on your trips or say, “Is that a bird a desert sparrow or a greater hoopoe lark” So, everything will be clear.
With binoculars, you will not need to be closer to the bird to observe as you may make it afraid and fly away, so you can observe it from far distances.
8 – Invest in Cameras
Investing in cameras is a great step you can take, as it will make you have good and lasting memories of your encounters with avian species by taking photos of different and beautiful species.
By owning a good camera you will identify birds by capturing pictures and uploading them to different apps or share them with other birdwatchers who will give you information after finishing the birdwatching adventure.
If you have a camera with a telephoto lens it will allow you to see the details of the bird from far distances in addition to taking great pictures.
The camera will help also with documentation and research as your taken photos will help in research studies, help monitor bird populations, or raise awareness about the importance of bird conservation.
While looking to buy a camera consider the the camera’s resolution, capabilities, autofocus, continuous shooting speed, and compatibility with telephoto lenses.
9 – Invest in Spotting Scopes
The difference between a spotting scope and a binocular is that a spotting scope will enable you to take pictures through it even by mobile if it provides good image quality. Binoculars are only for observing by eyes and locating the bird to take your camera then and capture a picture.
Spotting scopes have a magnification power which enables you to observe birds from long distances especially if you’re in open habitats such as grasslands, wetlands, or coastal areas where birds may be far away.
High-quality spotting scopes deliver crisp and clear images, enabling you to see fine details of bird plumage, markings, and behavior. this will help you to avoid the problem of similarity between some bird species.
While thinking about buying a binocular consider factors such as magnification power, objective lens diameter, optical quality, durability, and compatibility with accessories.
10 – Keep Records Of What You’ve Seen
Investing in binoculars, spotting scopes and cameras will help you to keep records of what you’ve seen in all of your birdwatching experiences and this will help you to have great memories in addition, keeping the pictures of birds you have observed will help you in selling them or donate to some Encyclopedias of bird watching.
