Getting Started Backyard Birdwatching

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GETTING STARTED BACKYARD BIRDING

DEUTERONOMY 3:2, O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?

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THERE ARE NUMEROUS WAYS TO BEGIN THIS HOBBY. THIS PAGE LISTS SOME SUGGESTIONS BASED ON THE PROGRESSION OF OUR OWN BIRD JOURNEY; HOPEFULLY, IT WILL GIVE YOU SOME IDEAS ON HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE FLOCK

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1. As a newly hatched Birdwatcher you need to decide if you want to: go where the birds are or "bring" the birds to you. As a rule, we didn't want to hike for hours regularly looking for a particular bird (a couple of field trips a month is fine)** but wanted to enjoy looking at the birds, while having our morning coffee. So we bought a feeder instead of a new pair of hiking shoes.

**If you are in (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and/or surrounding areas) and choose to go TO the birds, check out our Birding Field Trips page for locations to visit and our pictures at some of these spots.

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2. Choose a good location for your feeder. Many sites will focus on the the height off the ground and facing a certain direction which is all good advice. I wanted the birds to feel safe (so in the backyard where your Doberman hangs out might not be the best choice.)

I think part of the success we have had is due to the fact that our feeder is on the 2nd floor window/porch. The birds are free to go to the feeder or hop around on the porch. Plus, the house overhang keeps the seed mostly dry in the rain. The downside is that I sweep the porch pretty much every night.

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3. Choose the right seed for the birds you would like to attract or buy seed suited to the birds you've seen in the area. We uses a mix of the black sunflower seeds along with the fruit and nut mix. I started with dried meal worms mixed in because they were leftover when we switched to live meal-worms. We only started offering the live meal-worms after we saw the Eastern Bluebirds. So far they are not interested in coming that close, but all of the other birds are immensely pleased with the wide array of offerings on our bird buffet.

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4. Provide fresh water to attract other birds who may not come to the feeder. This was a lesson recognized when the Cedar Waxwings came for the first time to drink. It was very cold that day and I stood out there defrosted the birdbath (now I have the heater). I am guessing that fresh water was scarce elsewhere that day and my efforts were rewarded with a visit from several great birds.

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5. Decide what "kind" of birder you would like to be: a casual observer or citizen scientist.
It is OK to be a casual observer. I think of this is someone who enjoys watching the birds and may make general observations written or verbal. Whereas a citizen scientist is one that attempts to take detailed notes and/or shares these observations. Obviously, there are many degrees in each of these classifications. Both Abby and I have transformed to some degree from causal observers to citizen scientists, check out how we keep records on our page Bird Identification. Additionally, there are several places online that you can share your observations, pictures, and recordings with others.

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IMPORTANT

IF YOU TAKE PICTURES OF BIRDS AROUND YOUR HOUSE:

So, believe it or not if you stand at your window(s) with a long lens camera pointed at various trees which happen to be in front of your neighbors house, you may start getting weird looks from them. We were. You might want to take some steps to prevent this. We figured this out but only by accident.

1. First, I ordered the bird nerd shirts for myself and the kids. When they arrived, we randomly wore them around the house (and outside to check the mail etc).

2. I (and Abby on several occasions) ran around outside with a camera and excitedly spoke to neighbors about birds as they walked by with dogs or came outside to check mail etc.

3. When he delivered a package one day, I had a lengthy conversation with our regular mailman about the bird I was trying to photograph and he in turn told me some of the birds he had seen in our neighborhood.

The point is to get the word out. I would rather be known as that lady next door that is absolutely crazy about birds than a peeping Tammy. You probably would too.

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IF YOU ARE READY TO GET STARTED BIRDWATCHING, CHECK OUR OUR PAGE, "FAVORITE BIRD STUFF."
FOR SUPPLIES WE LOVE.

ALL PICTURES ON THIS SITE WERE TAKEN ONLY BY ABBY, CJ OR ME. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE PHOTOS ON THE BIRDING FIELD TRIP PAGE, ALL PICTURES HAVE ALL BEEN TAKEN IN OUR URBAN BACKYARD/TREES, OR IN THE SKY AND TREES ABOVE OUR HOUSE/NEIGHBORHOOD FROM 2018 TO THE PRESENT. WE ARE USUALLY BIRDING EVERYDAY BUT ARE ALSO USUALLY BEHIND UPLOADING PICTURES.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE INFORMATION ABOUT A SPECIFIC PICTURE PLEASE EMAIL US. COGENTLY, IF WE HAVE ERRONEOUSLY MISLABELED A PICTURE PLEASE BRING IT TO OUR ATTENTION.