When we lived in Tamarac, FL, we had a park nearby in North Lauderdale whose naturalist encouraged me to become a birdwatcher. She was a good influence and shared her knowledge with me. I in turn now would like to share what I have learned with the readers of this blog. Though I doubt that I will ever have the level of “expertise” that she or others who have taught me have, I still desire to encourage others to start enjoying the wonderful and awesome birds around us that the Lord has created.
To become a birdwatcher:
- Slow down and smell the roses. (I mean LOOK around you.) Observe!
- Look at the birds that are common near you. Where? They are in fields, on poles, by ponds, in McDonald’s and Burger King’s parking lot. Don’t forget the trees at Wal-Mart or inside the Lowe’s and Home Depot garden spots.
- Listen! The birds are pretty vocal. They are sometimes melodious (Song Sparrows); “off-key”(Grackles and Crows); mimicking others (Mockingbird and Gray Catbird), chattering (Swallow or Crane); or maybe “mourning” like a Mourning Dove.
- After you find birds to watch, observe them.
How do you observe them? At first, just take note of their:
- Colors
- Size (Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, very Big)
- Sounds
- Their beak (Mouth-for you newbies) is it long, straight, curved, thick, thin, etc?
- Their posture (upright, leaning forward, squatty)
- Wings (long, short, pointed, rounded, etc.)
- Tail (long, short, pointed, forked, fanned, etc.
- What are they doing?
This is enough for now. I just wanted to encourage you to start watching birds and enjoying what is around us in our busy lives. In future postings, I will going into more details.
Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 
These days I am a big birder and loving every second of it :) life changing powerful stuff….. thanks to all that enjoy the beauty this world has to offer.. Peace and love
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I really, really should be working but have been googling instead. I think this bird is what I saw.
http://www.birdwatch.ph/html/gallery/piedfantail.html
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Hi Myra! I am patiently waiting, not to worry. Birdwatching is more enjoyable than writing an article. Besides, you had that graduation event.
Like you, I am always looking for an excuse to be out looking at birds or whatever.
In Him,
Lee
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Dearest Lee! I still owe you an article. Just have to meet some work deadlines. It’s in my head but have to find time to write it down. Just want to tell you that before I read the info above I would simply watch birds and listen to them. Now I’ve begun to notice their movements.
I work from home and every so often I have to call the office using a cellular phone. So I go out to where the signal is clear — under a mango tree (its a perfect excuse to relax and do some birdwatching too!).
There’s this bird I haven’t seen here before — when it alights on a branch it spreads its tail out but in flight the tail feathers are drawn together. Really interesting.
Also, the most common bird around here, the maya — I saw one rub its beak against the branch it was perched on.
Got to get back to work.
Warmest regards,
Myra
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I learned about birdwatching from an American missionary several years ago. I didn’t know it was possible to birdwatch where I live — Taytay, Rizal, a rather crowded town east of Manila. The missionary said they could birdwatch where they live which was not far from where I live. So have been a casual birdwatcher ever since. I watch butterflies too.
Myra Gaculais del Rosario
Rizal,
Philippines
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No matter where we live, there is some bird that will at least fly over. The main thing is being aware of them. Thanks for commenting.
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