Sports Column: Binoculars used for off-season bird 'hunting'
Although the bird (quail) season is over, there are a lot of people that get "birdie" this time of year. Many of them don't hunt with a dog and a gun, they use a binocular to find the birds.
As a wide variety of birds gather around backyards and bird feeders, birding doesn't take much equipment, all you need is a good bird identification book, a quality binocular and a good field guide. Once you learn to recognize birds habitat and traits like feeding and flying, it gets easy to determine the species. It can be a lot of fun and you can do it at your convenience. Birders are ready for the annual invasion of hungry birds from Canada, the land that sends human "snowbirds" south will also be sending real feathered friends to our area this winter.
For beginners, veteran birder James Davis of Warrensburg, Mo., has a few tips that will help get them started. First, get a good binocular, one with 7x35 or 10x50 power that offers adequate magnification and will help at home when birding in prime states like Missouri. Field guides assist in identification and will help at home when viewing. When heading out, be sure to take a notebook. Field notes should include the date, location, weather conditions, bird behavior along with any unique markings such as bill shape and the curve of the wings.
Beginners must learn to identify birds by sight and sound. Knowing the shape of bird's wings, legs, head and tail makes it easier to learn the species. For example, hawks fly with rounded wings and falcons rely on more pointed wings. Pay attention to the bird's size as well.
Commit to memory prominent body markings. Strips, eye markings and color patterns can help determine a birds age and distinguish between similar looking birds.
Advanced birders know that it is important to learn bird songs which can identify a species even though the bird may be hidden in heavy cover.
There are millions of birders in the country and many pounds of bird feed will be used in the next few months as birders watch the hungry birds enjoy the handouts.
The growing number of bird watchers can make their fascination with nature add up for science and for the future during the 11th annual Great Backyard Bird Count during Presidents' Day weekend, Feb. 15-18. Anyone can count birds from wherever they are and enter their tallies online at www.birdcount.org. These reports create an exciting real-time picture of where the birds are across the continent and contribute valuable information for science and conservation.
"These volunteers are counting not only for fun, but also for the future," Chief Science Officer for Audubon Tom Bancrof said "It's fun to see how many different kinds of birds can be seen and counted right in your backyard or neighborhood park. Each tally helps us learn more about how our North American birds are doing, and what that says about the health and the future of our environment."
People of all ages and experience levels are invited to take part wherever they are-at home, in schoolyards, local parks, wildlife refuges and even counting birds on a balcony.
Observers count the highest number of each species they see during at least 15 minutes on one or more of the count days. Then they enter their tallies on the Great Backyard Bird Count web site www.birdcount.org. The web site also provides helpful hints for identifying birds. Participants can compare results from their town or region with others, as the checklist pour in from all across the country.
"My young grandson gets very excited about the birdcount," Pat Mason, Harrisonville, said. "He can identify many species of birds and he is only five. It makes him very proud of himself. This year he has invited several friends to join in."
Bird watching and feeding has become a popular winter "sport" for many Missourians from grandparents to grandkids.
Jack Thompson, Lee's Summit, Mo., never thought much about birding until three years ago his daughter ask him to put out a bird feeder in their front yard.
"It became quite an attraction as we watched all kinds of birds using the feeder," Thompson said. "Now we have four feeders and use lots of sunflower seeds that attracts many different species of birds, it has gotten to be a favorite pastime during the winter months"
Tom Nelson, Independence, Mo., has a collection of bird photos he has taken while watching the birds in his yard.
"Its a lot of fun and we not only enjoy watching the birds, we have photos to enjoy later." Nelson said." There is a certain fascination about the birds that draws everyone in the family to enjoy them."