Thursday, March 31, 2011

Wanna Be A Better Birder?

If you want to be a better birder, then you should do these things:

  1. Go outside more - actually take time to go birding. This is the number one way to improve your birding skills but it isn't easy with our busy schedules. I am lucky that I have to walk Roxy twice a day. I bring binoculars with me often (just ask the neighbors).

  2. Read more - subscribe to birding magazines and purchase as many field guides as possible. I subscribe to Bird Watcher's Digest, Birding, Birder's World. I also get Audubon and Living Bird magazines due to membership in Audubon and Cornell Lab. Here is a link to Surfbird.com's list of birding magazines.

  3. Listen more - not to me, but to the birds. The best thing that I have done in the past few years to improve my birding skills is to take the CMBO Birding by Ear class. I probably added a few dozen life birds simply by recognizing a different song, buzz, tweet, or chip coming from the woods. This year, Pete Dunne is doing a one day backyard bird song workshop that you should definitely sign up for. Pete is a world renowned birder and author that you can spend a whole day with in a small group setting while bringing your bird identification skills to a new level. Don't miss out. Here is the link to CMBO site.
I hope this helps. Call or email me if you want to go birding. I'll make time.

1 comment:

birding said...

Hey I'd like to invite myself along to bird with you, if you've recovered from the WBS :) How can I contact you outside of this little box?