Peter Zoll took these photos today. They are distant photos, but are certainly of a Snowy Owl (or decoy) who can move his head from side to side. Anyone have any more info?
Friday, January 22, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Bill's Top 12 Birding Tips
These tips are primarily for someone getting started birding, but even if you consider yourself an experienced birder, you may find some useful advice. For instance, with winter storm Jonas approaching our region, attention to feeding birds is something your backyard birds will benefit from, and you too should get many good visual rewards.
So please, scan through this list compiled and condensed from from 40+ years of birding.......
by me and my birding spouse, Sally.
Bill’s Top 12 Birding Tips
1. Go birding with groups led by an experienced birder - he/she will know what species to expect - he’ll know the key field marks and help you hone in on them - he’ll know the bird songs and help you learn them - and he’ll have a spotting scope
2. Buy the best optics you can comfortably afford - many good brands: Nikon, Swarovski, Swift, Leica, Zeiss - avoid compact, zoom and high power binoculars - magnification 7 to 10x, objective lens 30 to 50 mm - mid range and my choice is 8.5x42 - try binoculars first, especially if you wear glasses - when it comes time to purchase a spotting scope, you’ll know
3. Purchase at least one good field guide - Sibley, Kaufman, National Geographic, Peterson - better yet, with 2 different field guides, you can cross check what they say - some come with an Eastern edition which narrows options
4. Learn the common resident birds “like the back of your hand” - when new species arrive during migration, you’ll know you have somebody new - learn the songs of the most common birds
5. Use and trust published literature, such as - range maps, birds do get out of their normal ranges, BUT this is rare - check-list abundance is quite useful and accurate - if the check list says your ID is a rare species, you may wish to recheck your ID
6. Bird year round - 85% of DE birds are migrants, which means only 15% do NOT migrate - when possible spend extra time birding during migration, which is: - spring: April-May, with peak the first 2 weeks in May - fall: Sept-October-November, with peak the last 2 weeks of Sept
7. Learn habitat preferences of the birds you seek - most warblers don’t hang out on the beaches - most shorebirds don’t hang out in the woods - “waders” do like to wade in shallow water impoundments
8. If you can, provide food, water, plantings and bird houses for birds in your yard - observing birds in your yard helps hone expertise - it can also provide a great deal of pleasure - and it can help the birds as well
9. Use the Internet as a resource - SussexBirdClub.com - go to SBC Links page for lots of additional information on the internet - consider DE-Birds to be notified of rare and noteworthy bird sightings - Also Google a bird’s name, or Google-Image a bird’s picture - also use Google maps to get details on a possible birding location
10. Visit the top nearby birding locations as often as you can - Prime Hook NWR - Cape Henlopen State Park - Mispillion, DuPont Nature Center (especially May) - Trap Pond State Park - Bombay Hook NWR - Indian River Inlet (especially winter) - Cape May/Lewes Ferry
11.Travel and Bird - new habitat means new birds - definitely research where you plan to travel - there are many very nice lodges which cater to birders as well as the general public
12. Enjoy what you see! - yes, Cardinals are beautiful, as is the Scarlet Tanager - common birds sometimes do uncommon things - and toucans are really cool as well - enjoying the birds is why you go birding
So please, scan through this list compiled and condensed from from 40+ years of birding.......
by me and my birding spouse, Sally.
Bill’s Top 12 Birding Tips
1. Go birding with groups led by an experienced birder - he/she will know what species to expect - he’ll know the key field marks and help you hone in on them - he’ll know the bird songs and help you learn them - and he’ll have a spotting scope
2. Buy the best optics you can comfortably afford - many good brands: Nikon, Swarovski, Swift, Leica, Zeiss - avoid compact, zoom and high power binoculars - magnification 7 to 10x, objective lens 30 to 50 mm - mid range and my choice is 8.5x42 - try binoculars first, especially if you wear glasses - when it comes time to purchase a spotting scope, you’ll know
3. Purchase at least one good field guide - Sibley, Kaufman, National Geographic, Peterson - better yet, with 2 different field guides, you can cross check what they say - some come with an Eastern edition which narrows options
4. Learn the common resident birds “like the back of your hand” - when new species arrive during migration, you’ll know you have somebody new - learn the songs of the most common birds
5. Use and trust published literature, such as - range maps, birds do get out of their normal ranges, BUT this is rare - check-list abundance is quite useful and accurate - if the check list says your ID is a rare species, you may wish to recheck your ID
6. Bird year round - 85% of DE birds are migrants, which means only 15% do NOT migrate - when possible spend extra time birding during migration, which is: - spring: April-May, with peak the first 2 weeks in May - fall: Sept-October-November, with peak the last 2 weeks of Sept
7. Learn habitat preferences of the birds you seek - most warblers don’t hang out on the beaches - most shorebirds don’t hang out in the woods - “waders” do like to wade in shallow water impoundments
8. If you can, provide food, water, plantings and bird houses for birds in your yard - observing birds in your yard helps hone expertise - it can also provide a great deal of pleasure - and it can help the birds as well
9. Use the Internet as a resource - SussexBirdClub.com - go to SBC Links page for lots of additional information on the internet - consider DE-Birds to be notified of rare and noteworthy bird sightings - Also Google a bird’s name, or Google-Image a bird’s picture - also use Google maps to get details on a possible birding location
10. Visit the top nearby birding locations as often as you can - Prime Hook NWR - Cape Henlopen State Park - Mispillion, DuPont Nature Center (especially May) - Trap Pond State Park - Bombay Hook NWR - Indian River Inlet (especially winter) - Cape May/Lewes Ferry
11.Travel and Bird - new habitat means new birds - definitely research where you plan to travel - there are many very nice lodges which cater to birders as well as the general public
12. Enjoy what you see! - yes, Cardinals are beautiful, as is the Scarlet Tanager - common birds sometimes do uncommon things - and toucans are really cool as well - enjoying the birds is why you go birding
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