Hello from NorthEast LA - Mom w/ Birder Kids (1 Viewer)

Hi all,
My kids (ages 7 & 8) have recently become obsessed with birds. I'd love advice for expanding their birding knowledge. We are absolute beginners. We have recently had some nice sightings while canoeing Castaic lake...would love to join others wherever the hotspots are.

It's great to start young. First, you're going to need some proper equipment. Since kids will be kids, you shouldn't spend too much on binoculars. My first nice pair were the Eagle Optics Shrike 8x42 if you want to give them something to share, and a cheaper option would be for both of them the would be the Bushnell PermaFocus. Next, you will need a field guide. Sibley's makes a good beginner's guide, and can be found for the West Coast or North America. If you ever have trouble finding a place to bird, use eBird. I'm sure your kids will pick it up fast, but eBird is social media for birders at its simplest. Here, you can find places to go, record your life, year, and month list for counties, states, nations, or the world. You can find hotspots and see what people have submitted. You can find photos, audio, and other media that other users have contributed. However, birding on your own is not the best way for beginners, a field guide and never supplement the words of another birder.
Los Angeles Audubon offers walks, one for youths toured today. Good luck birding!

Hi and welcome to BF from all the staff here, we hope you enjoy the site.
Feel free to join in where ever you fancy.
As Aiden has said, identifying the birds will be the main (favourite) challenge....so a good bird i.d. field guide for your area will be vital.

best regards,
Andy

Hello and welcome to the forum, enjoy and all the best.

Hi Outdoorsyfamily and a warm welcome from me too.

You're in for an exciting journey with your children. Please let us know how you all get on.

Hola! Welcome to Birdforum :t:

Hello and welcome to the forum. This could be a hobby they will have for a lifetime. How great of you to want to encourage them. AidenD gave some great advice.

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from the east coast :t:

I agree totally with the advice Aiden has given and the kids and you couldn't find a better obsession than birding