Backyard Birdwatching – An Outdoor Activity Your Family Can Enjoy Without Leaving Home

One of the best places for aspiring bird watchers to get their feet wet is in their own backyard. Backyard bird watching is an inexpensive and relatively easy way to get involved in birding as a hobby. While your interest may one day carry you to far away places in search of rare species, many find that they are more than satisfied by keeping track of the local bird life and enjoying the birds that live right under their noses.

The first investment that you will need to make is in a feeder for your backyard. Since different species of birds have different diets and eating habits, you will need to select a feeder that will attract the kinds of birds that you want to watch, or which live in your region. A few of the different styles of feeders that you may find are hopper feeders, tube feeders, tray feeders and cage feeders. There are also specialty feeders available for specific species like hummingbirds and blue birds.

Read the rest of the article here: Backyard Bird Watching

Another decision that you will have to make as you are beginning your hobby of backyard bird watching is what to feed them. There is a wide range of feed available. Just like the feeders, the food that you select should depend in large part on what type of birds you are hoping to attract and where you live. Some of the more common types of bird feed are sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and thistle. Often found in a mix, pour this type of seed into a hopper type feeder to meet the needs of several different species at one backyard bird watching station. If you hope to attract some of the more fickle species, like bluebirds, then you will need to do some research on what type of fruit or nuts make up the diet of bluebirds in your area.

When you are setting up your area for backyard bird watching, you should ensure that you have good view of the feeders from the area that you anticipate using for observation. If you have any low hanging branches that may block your view, cut them away before you begin your project. If you wait until you already have a contingent of hungry customers to do so, the sudden change in environment may disrupt the feeding and behavior patterns that they have established.

No matter how you set up your backyard bird theater, you will most likely find that you need some kind of optical device. Whether you choose to use a set of handheld binoculars or a mount a spotting scope, you will find it much easier to identify, not only species, but individual birds when you can see them closely. The magnified images will allow you to make notations of particular markings, thus giving you the opportunity to track the annual arrival and departure of migratory birds.