#9 of 31 Days to Better Birding and Conservation
One of the best ways to learn birds is by learning their behaviors. Even birds that are similar in looks often have their own distinct actions. Being familiar with general bird behaviors increases your chances of identifying birds. But that isn’t the only reason to study behavior.
A singing Sedge Wren
With all the emphasis on keeping track of birds (keeping lists) it is nice to stop and watch a bird for several minutes. Their behaviors are fascinating and give insight into the secret lives of the birds.
There are hundreds of behaviors that birds show and if you’d like to see a whole collection of photos depicting these, you can check out our Flickr group, the Secret Life of Birds.
The next time you’re out birding, take the time to study bird behavior. You’ll learn a lot and have fun in the process.
Isn’t that what’s all about? I have no interest of keeping a checklist, but I am very interested in learning more about each species. Some of the smallest details are so interesting.
It’s funny you should mention that. Just last weekend I was out birding and felt myself getting a little disappointed because I was coming across a large number of House Sparrows, White-Throated Sparrows, and Song Sparrows, as well as a few squawking Blue Jays – all birds I’ve seen plenty of before. So I decided to just sit and watch the birds (the activity that got me interested in birding in the first place), and I really enjoyed it. I watched a Blue Jay take a bath in a little creek, for example. Hadn’t seen that before!
I would encourage readers to take your advice.
Dave – the smallest details truly are so fascinating!
Moe – nearly every day we see Cardinals in our yard and they always seem to be doing something different… the “commons” never are boring 🙂