Birds at the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity

empid flycatcher. Finding Birds

Many bird watchers often go on excursions to find birds. Some travel around the world while others venture into their backyard or local park, some seek rare elusive species while others just observe what is there. They all face the challenge of finding birds.

The nature of most birds makes them relatively easy to find. While mammals and herps are typically well camouflaged and remain rather elusive in their habits, most birds have bright colorful plumage and a proclivity for singing from visible perches. While these characteristics help some species establish breeding territories and find mates, they also help bird watchers and researchers locate them. Even the cryptically colored and secretive birds often give up their location when they sing. This trait has made birds easy to study in many ecosystems, their conspicuous nature and the popularity of bird watching has resulted in many opportunities to contribute observations for science. Rare bird occurrences and early and late arrivals reported by birders are recorded into state records and contribute to the scientific understanding of birds seasonal movements. Opportunities also exist for amateur ornithologists to collect information and contribute through monitoring programs such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology citizen science programs, Breeding Bird Surveys and Christmas Bird Counts.

Equipment

Finding birds requires some equipment. Often advanced bird watchers will have multiple tools for observing and documenting birds including powerful spotting scopes, digital cameras, computer software and a library of field guides. While these resources are enjoyable and helpful, basic bird watching can be accomplished with binoculars and a field guide. Spotting scopes allow greater magnification and allow us to see distant birds or to study minute details for tricky identifications. A good field guide is often a personal choice and should provide information such as range maps and preferred habitats. Other equipment that may be useful includes notebooks to record observations, a gazetteer showing land features like forest roads, streams and marshes, any number of audio aids to learn birdsongs from and cameras for documenting rare sightings as well as remembering your birding excursions.

Where to look

There are many places to look for birds. Some places are very good and are "hotspots", they can become quite popular among birders. Birds have different ranges and occupy different habitats. Birds require resources like shelter, food, water, and nesting material to survive and breed. Different species obtain these resources in different ways from their surroundings. Some species, often termed generalists, have very general requirements and can be found in many types of habitats, others are specialists and find their resources in a specific type of habitat. By visiting many different habitats you maximize your opportunities to encounter habitat specialists, it will also help you learn about the diversity of natural communities. If you are looking for a certain species then it can help to be aware of the habitat(s) it can be found in. Many field guides provide some information on habitats that birds feed and nest in. Watch different areas within a habitat. Bird species in a habitat may compete with each other for resources and many occupy different niches to avoid direct competition. Birds can be on the edge of a habitat where it overlaps with another or deep within it. Some species, like the Brown Creeper , cling close to tree trunks. Others flit around high in the canopy while some forage on the ground or in thick tangles.

When to look

Finding birds often depends on the timing. Typically the best time during the day to look for birds are the early morning hours, though you can find birds at anytime, morning is when birds are most active. Morning chorus can be filled with the songs of many species. There is also a brief period of increased activity during the evening. The migration patterns of birds is an important part of their ecology. Different groups of birds may tend to migrate during different parts of the year. THe Wisconsin Society for Ornithology web site has a guide that offers suggestions on what to look for during particular months, with May and June being the busiest time of the year. Some species tend to be irregular in their movements, they may be present one year in high numbers and have relatively low numbers the next year. These are irruptive species and include crossbills and redpolls as well as others. Their movements often depend on the availability of food sources.

How to look

There are many ways to look for birds. What works for one person may not be the best approach for another. Many birders begin searching from their vehicles, recording their sightings as they drive. This has the advantage of covering more area quickly and your vehicle also provides a movable blind that may allow you to get closer without scaring the wildlife you are viewing. A drawback is that you miss areas that are not accessible by car and many birds are overlooked. Hiking allows you to cover distance at a slower speed in less accessible places but your presence and movement may still cause some species to leave or take cover. A slow quiet stroll through an area with frequent stops to look and listen is often rewarding and allows some time for studying the birds and the habitat. Sitting still in one spot for an extended amount of time can reward you with the opportunity to observe more behaviors of birds. As you sit the birds become less wary of your presence (unless you are to close to a nest), previously unnoticed species may become noticeable and you may observe more bird behaviors such as courtship displays, nest building and the feeding of nestlings as well as other interesting behaviors.

As you look for birds listen to their songs and calls, then try to find the source. Many birds are usually very audible and give up their locations through their singing. Being knowledgeable about different birdsongs can be an immense help in finding birds, when you know what is singing it is often easier to locate it. Some trip preparation can pay off in the field. Knowledge about what birds are in an area or a habitat means less time searching through the field guide and more time looking for birds.

When looking for birds remember to keep your birding ethics in mind and respect the wildlife and other peoples property and privacy.

Internet Resources

Internet resources can be particularly helpful to locate birds. Many states have list servers where bird enthusiasts post interesting sightings and discuss other topics pertaining to local birds. These can be particularly helpful for learning where rare and unusual species are currently being seen as well as for networking with other bird watchers and planning trips. Some sites, such as where do you want to go birding today, offer checklists of birds and birding hotspots around the world. For more internet resources on birds visit our bird links web page.

Biodiversity Topics: Introduction . Plants . Animals . Mammals . Birds . Reptiles & Amphibians . Arthropods . Spiders . Insects