Tips for beginning birdwatchers - Bill Thompson, III

1. Get a decent pair of binoculars, one that is easy for you to use and hold steady.
2. Find a field guide to the birds of your region. (Many guides, like this one, cover only eastern or western North America.) Guides that cover all the birds of North America contain many species that are uncommon or entirely absent from your area. You can always upgrade to a continent-wide guide later.
3. Set up a basic feeding station in your yard or garden.
4. Start with backyard birds. They are easiest to see, and you can become familiar with them fairly quickly.
5. Practice your identification skills. Starting with a common bird species, note the most obvious visual features of the bird (color, size, shape, patterns in the plumage). These features are known as field marks and will be helpful clues to the bird's identity.
6. Notice the bird's behavior. Many birds can be identified by their behavior--woodpeckers peck on wood, kingfishers hunt for small fish, swallows are known for their graceful flight.
7. Listen to the bird's sounds. Bird song is a vital component to birding. Learning bird songs and sounds takes a bit of practice, but many birds make it pretty easy for us. For example, chickadees and Whip-poor-wills (among others) call out their names. In the Young Birder's Guide to Birds of North America, the Resources section contains a list of tools to help you learn bird songs.
8. Look at the bird, not the book.* When you see an unfamiliar bird, avoid the temptation to glance at the bird and grab the guide. Instead, watch the bird carefully for as long as it is present. Your field guide will be with you long after the bird is gone, so take advantage of every moment to watch an unfamiliar bird while you can.
9. Take notes. No one can be expected to remember every field mark and description of a bird. But you can help you memory and accelerate your learning by taking note on the birds you see. These notes can be written in a small pocket notebook or even in the margins of your field guide.
10. Venture beyond the backyard and find other bird watchers in your area. The bird watching you'll experience beyond your backyard will be enriching, especially if it leads not only to new birds but also to new birding friends. Ask a local nature center or wildlife refuge about bird clubs in your region. You state ornithological organization or natural resources division may also be helpful. Being with others who share your interest in bird watching can greatly enhance your enjoyment of this wonderful hobby.

That was straight from Bill Thompson, III's "the Young Birder's Guide to Eastern Birds of North America."

-Guy

Stokes Sticks Out!

I think one of the field guides I own has excelled many others: "The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America."

The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America

This guide, however, does not hold any history on the birds, like "The Young Birder's Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America," or "Birds of Illinois." It is strictly dedicated to six things: Shape, habitat, voice, subspecies, hybrid birds and range. There are eight hundred fifty-four species, from your backyard favorites, to those magnificent high-interest rarities that you are just dying to see. Updated range maps and spectacular descriptions make this guide excellent! With more than thirty-four hundred astonishingly good photos all by Donald and Lillian Stokes from every angle imaginable, this guide makes for easy identification and a great learning opportunity. All plumages from almost every bird are there, right at your fingertips:

• Male
• Female
• Immature
• Summer
• Winter
• Morphs
• Notable subspecies
• Birds in flight

If you purchase the full version (eastern and western region), you will also find a special downloadable CD at the back of the book, with over six hundred songs, straight from the backyard! In the front and back, there are two flaps. The front flap shows a quick identification guide, ABA birding codes and a range map "decoder." The back flap is a biography of the authors, Don and Lillian Stokes, "Parts of a Bird: The Basics" and a key abbreviation "dictionary." You can buy this book on Amazon for $16.49. I won't guarantee (just to be safe, o course), but this book is bound to take your birdwatching to the next level. Though, it does have its drawbacks. For one thing, it is a little too cumbersome for some people's tastes (myself included) out in the field. The other thing is, all of those high interest rarites get in the way! Overall, I would give it , out of ten stars, a deserved 8.75. Happy birding!

-Mr. Bird

The Young Birder's (Review of the) Guide to Birds of Eastern North America

The Young Birder's guide to Birds of Eastern North America, written by Bill Thompson III, is an excellent guide for birders eight and up. Even I use it! I received it as a gift when I had just turned nine. I had been birdwatching for about a year, but didn't really understand it.

The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of Eastern North America

One quote by Richard Louv says, "The Young Birder's Guide is a terrific gift of nature." In the front of the book, it shows lots of useful advice, such as:

1. What is Birding?
2. Getting Started in Bird Watching
3. Identification Basics
4. Field Skills
5. Birding Manners
6. Birding by Habitat
7. Be Green: Ten Things You Can Do for Birds
8. How to Use This Guide
9. Ten Tips for Beginning Bird Watchers
10. Species Accounts
11. Resources
12. Glossary
13. Acknowledgments
14. Index

Inside it is sorted by family (I believe, anyway), and at the bottom of every page is a checklist. Also, there is an illustration hand-drawn by Julie Zickfoose, a "WOW!" section that tells something interesting about the bird, and a tiny map that tells you where to find the bird. It is a great guide for finding the bird quickly! At the top of the page, it shows it's scientific name and the bird's length or wingspan. It also has a "Look For" section, a "Listen For" section and a "Remember" section. And last, but not least, is the "Find it" section. You can buy it on www.Amazon.com new for $20.00, or used for $12.00. If you're a kid birder, I suggest you get it. Happy birding!

-Mr. Bird