#15 of 31 Days to Better Birding and Conservation In Rockford, Illinois we have a wonderful bird club called North Central Illinois Ornithological Society (NCIOS). We meet once a month through September to June and have regular field trips during this time. It is important to support local bird clubs because it is a great
Tag: 31 days
Walk Quietly and Listen Closely
#14 of 31 Days to Better Birding and Conservation This is a simple tip but one worth noting. The sound of shuffling feet in gravel, leaves, and dirt can often drown out the soft chip of a sparrow or chirp of a warbler. Walking softly is less intrusive on birds and enhances your ability to
Keep Field Notes
#13 of 31 Days to Better Birding and Conservation Something we’ve always lacked on is taking good field notes. But, in a concentrated effort in October (and hopefully beyond) we are trying to record as much information as we can while out birding. Keeping field notes helps to improve your birding but it is also
Purchase High-Quality Optics
#12 of 31 Days to Better Birding and Conservation When it comes to birding optics we are far from experts. We’ve gone through several different types before getting “better” binoculars. The usual line is to buy the best optics you can afford and for the most part this is true. However, we’d alter it to
Read Your Field Guide(s)
This is #11 of 31 Ways to Better Birding and Conservation Have you ever saw a bird that you just had no idea what it could be? We sure have. But here’s a great little tip: read your field guide. Not all field guides are created equal, but they all offer loads of important information.
Use Multiple Field Guides
#10 of 31 Days to Better Birding and Conservation For North America, there are a multitude of field guides to choose from for birding. Field guides can be broken down into two main categories and two sub-categories. The two main categories are ones that cover all of North America and ones that cover a particular
Study Bird Behaviors
#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
Submit Sightings to eBird
#8 of 31 Days to Better Birding and Conservation eBird was created as a way for birders to submit their bird sightings via the internet. It works in a very simple way: you sign-in, select a location and a few other facts about your outing, and then check off the birds you saw. You can
