Tips on Birding? (1 Viewer)

About to start my second year of birding.. photographed around 96 types in my first year(give or take one or two)... basically driving around to the nearby ponds and waiting... caught a few smaller birds, but not too many (we're rural, a few trees, but not too many.... and a TON of cats!)
I was wondering if anyone had tips for me to be able to see (or photograph) more types?
(and Birdfeeders here are really not an option.. i tried like 10 locations, either the wind or the cats knocked them over... lol )

Any help is appreciated!!

Two general answers: first in your neighborhood. A dump or landfill is always a good place to find birds. Trash and food on the ground will attract birds. Roadkill. Anyplace there is grain on the ground - farms, silos, animal lots. Open water - lakes, ponds will attract ducks, waders, shore birds. Golf courses offer wonderful open habitat for photographing birds and many golf courses have erected bird houses to attract swallows and martins. (Get permission before walking around a golf course but you'll be pleasantly surprised how many new species you can see in one round.) Early morning and just before sunset are the good times of the day to catch birds. Just getting up early could bag you a couple of new birds.

My second suggestion is that if the birds don't come to you, sooner or later you're going to have to go to the birds. To see more bird species, travel is your best option.

Also, get ready for migration. A check of eBird.org tells me that there were 229 species of birds sighted in Saskatchewan last year during the spring migration (Mar - May 2011). In your neck of the woods, migration should have begun and will continue for about another month. A 'river' of new birds are heading through the plains towards the tundra of northern Canada. Get in the path of the river by learning about flyways.

While you're looking for new birds, look for other birders. They are source of information on sightings and will make you a better birder through shared experiences. It's also more fun than birding alone. You'll be surprised how many other birders there are near you who can point you to new birds.

Try googling 'birding saskatchewan hotspots'.

Good luck.