Bird Watching !!

Birdwatching
Observing birds in their natural habitat, a popular pastime and scientific sport, developed during the 20th century. Until the 19th century, bird-watchers could identify an unfamiliar species only when its corpse was in their hands. Modern bird-watching was made possible largely by the development of optical aids which enabled people to see and study wild birds without harming them. Bird watching is a great way to escape from the monotonous life and be one with nature. No one knows the sights and sounds of nature better than a bird-watcher. By looking at the plumage and listening to the call note of a bird, a bird-watcher can tell you what bird that is. This is not an exaggeration. It is a fact. In fact, bird-watchers are generally more observant than the average person.
Why watch birds?
The National Survey on Recreation and the Environment names bird-watching the fastest growing outdoor recreation in the nation - an interest shared by 70 million Americans. How can we account for this? Firstly, bird-watching is a simple and inexpensive sport. We need only a good bird book, binoculars, and walking shoes. We can find birds everywhere, even in our backyard. Bird-watching is an opportunity for people to feel close to nature through watching birds. Bird-watching or birding is a fascinating activity that increases our awareness and appreciation of natural wildlife. It is inexpensive and easy to learn.
Secondly, birds represent an amazing group of species. They are an essential part of ecosystems taking different roles in different habitats. Birds with variations in color, song, and incredible differences in flight pattern are a delight to the senses. Scientists say that birds use song to attract mates, mark territory, or signal danger. Bird-watching can be challenging, rigorous or relaxing, a solitary recreation or one done with companions. Age and gender are irrelevant. Keen observation skills and a curious spirit are all that is required. Bird-watching can be done close to home or far afield.
Where and When to see birds :
Though it is possible to watch birds any time and any place, it is helpful to know when and where to look for them. We can see specific birds at certain times of the day. For example, small birds like sparrows, robins, warblers, and woodpeckers are easier to see two to three hours after dawn or just before sunset. At this time, they feed actively. Small birds will be silent or hidden during the rest of the day. Eagles and hawks are seen when the sun is up. Visibility is best for hunting at this time and they can soar on the thermal currents from the warm air. Birds like owls are more likely to be seen in the evening. Many shorebirds and waders rest at high tide and feed when the water rises or falls.
The best time to watch birds in full colorful plumage is in spring when they migrate to their nesting grounds. Most birds breed in the summer so that we can watch them build their nests and raise their young. The fall migration is the hardest time to identify birds because of the change in their plumage.
Birding Skills :
Birds are likely to be alarmed by noise or sudden movement, so move slowly and quietly. Watch the vegetation for movement that may give away a bird's location. Watch for signs of alarm in birds : a freeze in posture, a cocked head, or half-raised wings. These tell you to stop moving until the bird calms down or to back away if necessary.
There are some basic clues for bird identification. The bird's silhouette, its plumage and coloration, its behavior, its song or calls, its habitat. Many people get into bird-watching to see the beautiful colors. The marks that distinguish one bird from another are called field marks. These include such things as breast spots, wing bars (thin lines along the wings), eye rings (circles around the eyes), eyebrows (lines over the eyes), eye lines (lines through the eyes), and beaks. Beaks help us to identify the birds easily. They also help us learn more about the behavior of the birds. Beaks of birds vary depending on the species and their diet. In most birds they are light so that the bird's flight is easier. They are bony in structure and covered with keratin, much like our fingernails. They work like hammers, chisels, pincers, nutcrackers, hooks, spears, or strainers. Cardinals, finches, and sparrows have short conical bills. Woodpeckers have rigid powerful bills to chip away at wood. Hawks, eagles, and owls have sharp, hooked bills for tearing meat. Shorebirds have slender bills of all lengths for probing different depths of sand. Birds such as ducks have flat bills useful for filtering food.
In order to watch birds in their habitat without disturbing them, wear clothes with dull colors that blend into the background. Muted greens, browns, and grays are good. Avoid fabrics that squeak, or snag easily.
Bird food :
All birds need food, water and shelter. Natural foods that birds eat include insects, worms, berries and other fruit, flower nectar, nuts and seeds, tree sap, buds of trees and shrubs, fish and small animals or other birds, eggs. You can get a clue of what a bird eats by the type of beak or bill it has. A thick cone shaped bill is good for cracking seeds. Examples : cardinals, grosbeaks, finches, sparrows, and towhees eat seeds all year long. When seeds are scarce, they eat insects.

Tips for New Bird-Watchers :
1. You need a field guide for your area. A field guide is a book with pictures of the birds and tips for identifying them.
2. You need binoculars to see the birds.
3. You need to know what to expect in your area.
4. Learn about the habitat of each species of birds. Do they like to spend their time at the top of a tree or on the ground or on a lake? Learn the songs of other birds in your area. To find a bird, you will often have to hear it first.
5. Join a group of other birders. Birders are very friendly and helpful. They are always willing to share their knowledge. Start by calling the local Nature Center or Park.
6. Try a birding trip or tour. Birding tours can take you all over the world. When birding, wear neutral colored clothing, not white.
7. Read about birds. There are many good magazines about birds and birding.
8. Bring the birds to you. You can attract birds to your yard with just a little work. Planting the right flowers will attract the humming birds.
9. Record your bird sightings. Maintain a diary or a list of the birds you see in your yard. Birders often keep lists for their country or state.
10. Ask lots of questions. Be kind to birds.
Bird-watching as recreation :
According to the most recent National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, bird-watching is the most rapidly expanding recreational pastime in the nation, and between 1983 and 2001, there was a 283 percent growth in its popularity.
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission - State Wildlife Management Agency 2001, SWG Project Report, "Nature tourism is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry, averaging a 30 percent annual increase since 1987. One segment of nature tourism relates to bird-watchers. The Wall Street Journal reported in August 1994 that bird-watchers are some of the most affluent travelers around".
"The 1995 National Survey on Recreation and the Environment found that of all forms of outdoor recreation, birding was the fastest growing segment, increasing an average of 155 percent nationally. On a regional basis, this breaks into a 267 percent increase in the South and a 139 percent increase in the Northeast. This translates into an annual 54 million birders, breaking into the following years of participation.
Bird watchers Experience
24.5 million 1-2 years
16.2 million 3-10 years
5.4 million 11-25 years
7 million 25 years
There is a direct correlation between age and level of participation, with an increase in age paralleling an increase in birding participation. As the general population ages, the levels of participation will also increase. Growth in outdoor recreation exceeded population growth.
Statistical study on Birdwatching :
According to the "Birding in the United States : A Demographic and Economic Analysis" report, "Backyard birdwatching is the most prevalent form of birdwatching with 88 percent of participants watching birds from the comfort of their homes. Forty percent of birders travel more than a mile from home and visit a variety of habitats on both private and public lands.
Of the 18 million Americans who ventured away from home to watch birds, public land rather than private land was visited more frequently, although many visited both. Eighty-three percent of birders used public land such as parks and wildlife reserves, 42 percent used private land, and 31 percent visited both.
The most popular setting to observe birds was in the woods (73%), followed by lakes and streamside areas (69%) and brush-covered areas and fields (62% and 61%). Less popular sits were the ocean (27%) and manmade areas (31%) such as golf courses and cemetries.
What kinds of birds are birders looking at? Seventy-eight percent reported observing waterfowl, making them the most spied on type of bird. Song birds were also popular with 70 percent of birders watching them, followed in popularity by birds of prey (68%) and other water birds such as herons and shorebirds (56%)".
(Acknowledgment: Information gathered from different web sites on bird watching.)