"How do I get into birding?" is a question I am frequently asked. To start, you need a decent pair of binoculars and a field guide.
There are numerous binoculars available. I suggest going to a store like Mass. Audubon in Lincoln to try different ones. Mass. Audubon is ideal because the staff is knowledgeable and they have a range of binoculars as well as a feeding station to focus the bins on. I use the Nikon Monarch 8x42, which you can buy for about $300. You can go to the high end and get a pair of Swarovski, which may set you back $2,300.
I tend to use the Sibley Field Guide to Birds. The other guides I refer to are the Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Peterson Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Ken Kaufman's Birds of North America, and the National Geographic's Field Guide to the Birds of North America. These guides all have different ways of picturing and presenting the birds. It is a matter of personal preference as to which one you use.
The best place to start birding is your own backyard. Keep your binoculars handy, and when you see a bird, note its size, field marks, and behavior. Go through your field guide and find the bird, or the one most closely resembling it. Note its distinctive features, and before long you will be comfortable in identifying the bird. Repetition is the best way of learning. After awhile you will start noting the size and shape, field marks, song, habitat (where you tend to see the bird) and flight patterns of individual birds.
You may want to take advantage of the many programs offered by Mass. Audubon in the area: bird walks, workshops on identification, and many other bird-related programs. You will find that birders are a friendly lot and are usually willing to help you find a bird and identify it.
Pam and I recently attended a lecture by Stephen Kress at the Arnold Arboretum. The first part of the lecture was on bird identification. He discussed the gestalt of identification, sometimes referred to as GISS (general impression, size, and shape). He projected silhouettes of common birds to emphasize the difference between the shape and posture of a variety of birds, including Mourning Dove, swallow and wren, each of which are easily identified by shape. He went on to talk about flight posture, behavior, body size, field marks, color, song, habitat, and season. Habitat and range are an important part of the equation, he told us. Most field guides have maps that indicate the range of each bird. For instance, if you thought you saw a Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, you could check the range map and realize that this woodpecker only occurs in the South, so the chances of that bird being in Harvard are slim.
Kress talked about attracting birds by creating natural habitats—planting native species and eliminating invasives and nonnatives. Nonnative plants often have perfect leaves untouched by insects, which therefore provide no insect protein for birds.
There are more than 400 species of native shrubs and trees that support birds and wildlife. Some provide lipids that birds need to bulk up on for migration; others provide berries high in sugar, and still others attract insects that provide essential protein.
One of the worst environments for birds is an expanse of immaculate lawn. Lawns can be loaded with herbicides and insecticides, which by one estimate are responsible for the death of more than 7 million birds per year, exceeded by house cats as the number-one killer of birds. If you have a large lawn area, consider letting some areas grow throughout the year and only cut it once toward the end of the summer. This way, you will give the grasses and wild flowers a chance to grow, providing food and cover for the birds, while still keeping the woody plants at bay.
Another habitat that supports wildlife is a brush pile. Brush piles provide important cover for wildlife. Leave dead trees standing if they don't present a hazard. Dead trees and snags provide habitat for woodpeckers to dig cavities for nesting and, in turn, provide nesting cavities for birds that do not excavate their own cavities. Birds that may take advantage of old woodpecker cavities are bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches, tufted titmouse and wrens.
Naturalists today report seeing declines in many species of birds, mainly due to habitat degradation and loss. If we improve our own habitats by planting natives and creating habitats that support birds and wildlife, we can continue to enjoy watching the birds in our own backyards.
For more information on how to get started with birding, visit www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1054.
David Durrant lives with his wife, Pamela, on East Bare Hill Road at Micheldever Farm, where they watch birds—their own peacocks, chickens, and wild birds.