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First birdwatching trip--any tips? (1 Viewer)

JenLove92

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Hello :)

I'm very new to birding; I've only been doing it for about a month, and so far have only had the opportunity to watch birds on the feeder in my backyard.

But my husband and I are now planning an official birdwatching trip--next week we're going to the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in southern Louisiana. It's about a three hour drive, but I'm very excited; it's supposed to be a great place to spy water birds.

This is my first trip out into the field. Does anyone have some advice for a newbie?

Thanks :)
 
Hello :)

I'm very new to birding; I've only been doing it for about a month, and so far have only had the opportunity to watch birds on the feeder in my backyard.

But my husband and I are now planning an official birdwatching trip--next week we're going to the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in southern Louisiana. It's about a three hour drive, but I'm very excited; it's supposed to be a great place to spy water birds.

This is my first trip out into the field. Does anyone have some advice for a newbie?

Thanks :)
Start using your ears as much as your eyes and learn some basic bird calls and songs.
 
If you hear anything unfamiliar, pay attention.
Don't overlook the small dull birds or the birds in the canopy.
Go birding with other people, if you don't feel comfortable.
Don't be embarrassed to refer to your field guide or other people.
Use eBird and other websites.
 
Check the refuge’s website for a bird list and/or pull up a bar chart on eBird, so you know what birds are likely and possible. Then study in your field guide how to identify those birds beforehand. That way once you get there you won't have to spend a lot of time thumbing through the field guide to figure out what you're looking at, but instead can enjoy your time being out in nature and watching the wildlife.

Good luck and have fun!

Jim
 
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Remember that birds are most active early in the day; and again late on. Not in the heat of the day (I'm guessing southern Louisiana will be pretty hot by now ?)
 
Learn the common birds as well as you can, if you think you have something rare, you probably haven't but it does happen!



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Check ebird.com lists for the places and month in which you are going to visit. This will give you a rough idea what birds to learn and what birds to expect. But don't treat ebird as completely reliable source, of course.
 
Simple things, take food and water so you don't have to interrupt your day. If there's a ranger or similar around, chat with them, they can be really helpful. Don't do what I do and forget camera batteries, forget there's no card in it, etc
 
I think the biggest thing is try to get there as early as you can. If you take a leisurely start and don't arrive at the refuge until...say 11, their might not be a whole lot of bird activity and you can risk being bored and disappointed. Birds don't like the heat really any more than you do after all.
 
If you hear anything unfamiliar, pay attention.
Don't overlook the small dull birds or the birds in the canopy.
Go birding with other people, if you don't feel comfortable.
Don't be embarrassed to refer to your field guide or other people.
Use eBird and other websites.


Putting together Aiden's advice with Paul's link to the ebird list, I'd say maybe you shouldn't be too concerned about the small dull birds in the canopy at first, unless you have others with you to help with ID. Leading on from garden / yard birds, large waterbirds are a relatively easy next step in your journey of discovery; my wife got into large wetland birds as the easiest extension from garden feeder birds. The site you're visiting has some great species, like roseate spoonbill and white ibis - even my non-birding son took photos of these for me when he was in Florida recently. Take time observing them, enjoying their behaviour, and don't get hung up just yet on not being able to put a name to everything you see.
 
Don't let your field guide "remind you" of a feature that you hadn't really noticed while you had actual eyes on the bird. Sometimes it means the bird in question goes unidentified. It is better to notice the fieldmarks yourself and then use those as a filter when it is time to look up the bird. If you let the field guide "remind" you of fieldmarks, you might be prone to some glitchy "memories".
 
I would reiterate checking out the website of the place for possible/resident/common birds to the site and having an idea what they look like and sound like if they are smaller type birds. Take your time and try and find those birds. I think having a target or two will add to the day even if everything will be 'new'. There will be lots of young birds to confuse the issue!

Try and find birds doing what they do ie a Heron catching a fish, birds feeding young etc

Enjoy the day.
 
Join a club, a great knowledge base and you never know, you may be lucky and find someone to mentor you as I did many years ago.

It's great to hang around with people who know more than you, you learn so much and will have a great time doing it!


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