Natural Nutmeg

Bird watching is a different kind of sport. It is also a hobby, and recreational and educational too. It opens your eyes to the natural world right in your own backyard and in far away places. You can do it all year round. You can do it anywhere: at home, in the car, on vacation, at work.  It’s cheap. Every season, every month, brings some new bird event: hundreds of shorebirds at the beaches, jeweled hummingbirds sipping at flowers, hawks soaring over marshes, gold finches in your yard. Spring is the peak of bird watching fervor, the time when the colorful migrating birds come back north through our area. But bird watching in the fall brings tens of thousands of birds migrating south for the winter, and is an exciting time for bird watchers.

Thousands of hawks are migrating through Connecticut right now. Look up, they are there. Volunteers even count them at they move from one state to another. One good place to see them is the Audubon Greenwich Hawk Watch every day from now until the end of November. A hawk watch counter is there every day and will give you the scoop and help you identify the majestic birds.  The hawks are also perched on highway light poles waiting for a good meal to walk by. In a few weeks, ducks and geese will be on our waterways by the thousands too. It is a spectacular site with snow geese flying in like, well, like snow.  As winter approaches there will still be much to see. Winter brings eagles, and time to observe bird behavior close range right in your yard. It is a whole year round cycle.

I did not become a bird watcher until I was in my 20’s. I lived near Manhattan’s Central Park, and there are a lot of “birders” in Manhattan.  Central Park is a green oasis in the midst of concrete that attracts birds in a concentrated area.  Organized bird watching walks are frequent, and they are a great place to meet like-minded friends. I was on only my second bird walk. I was getting the knack of it.  A little way in the distance I saw through my binoculars a couple of drab birds on the sidewalk drinking from a puddle and pointed them out to our energetic leader.  “Quick, everyone.  Look what Madeline has found – two mourning doves on the ground over there!  Aren’t they beautiful! Great spot, Madeline!”  I was proud of my first sighting and hooked on the enthusiasm of the sport. 

And ever since I have been enthused even by the most common bird.  I remember when a friend from Australia, the home of a wild array of colorful parrots and other exotic birds, was overwhelmed when he saw our common blue jay’s bright plumage. And I realized that the variety and universality of bird watching could truly be an addiction.

Photo by Alfred Yan

Bird watching was recently in the news with a report released this July by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that revealed there are 48 million adult bird-watchers who contribute more than $36 billion a year to the nation’s economy. Connecticut ranking 14th in the nation with 28%  of people watching birds. People bird watch in lots of different ways. Some folks feed birds in their backyards and you can see hundreds of birds that way.  Others go out on bird walks in the woods, beaches and marshes.  Others take the activity seriously as a real sport, and even participate in competitions.

One such group effort is coming up on Sunday, Oct 11. It is called The Big Sit It is a 24-hour international bird-finding event with more than 40 states and countries competing. The idea is for a bird watchers group to see or hear as many bird species as possible from within a 17-foot circle. It is the birding community’s most sedentary event. Some people have called it a “tailgate party for birders. “The idea is that if you sit in one place long enough, eventually every species of bird will pass by. There will be a big sit at CT Audubon’s Center in Milford and others around the state.  Check out your local bird club. The Big Sit, and other bird competitions, can also be fundraisers or Bird-A-thons,  where you can support a group’s local conservation efforts by making a pledge per species tallied.

You don’t need a lot of equipment to bird watch.  Binoculars are a good thing to have, of course. You can get a decent pair for $50 or get as fancy as a $1,000 a pair. Birding Binoculars Guide s a web site with descriptions and reviews to help you choose one. The trick with using binoculars is to first spot the bird without the binoculars and then, while keeping your head still and your eyes on the bird, carefully raise your binoculars and look through the lenses. The more you practice, the better you will get at spotting birds through your binoculars!

The only other thing you really need is a field guide to help you identify the different birds. You might want to start with a book that just has Connecticut birds or birds seen east of the Rockies. Learning to identify birds, by their size, shape, body parts, coloring, behavior and song is a fascinating challenge. Other than binoculars and a guide, you can travel light and cheap on your bird watching walks.

The cool thing about bird watching is you can do it everywhere and your skills just get better with experience. I like it better than hiking.  Hikers measure the success of their day in the distance traveled and a brisk pace.  Birders like me anyway take leisurely strolls, stopping often, listening, watching, observing.  Distance is never the object.  Blending into nature and observing the natural world is.

I have bird watched around the United States, in Mexico, Canada and South America, and seen some marvelous birds in my travels, but I have done most of my birding right here in the North East. You don’t have to leave Connecticut.  There are 400 species of birds right in the Nutmeg State.  Even if you cannot get out at all, there are many beautiful web sites where you can experience the sights and sounds of bird watching.. One I like is Bird Cinema with lots of short videos.  It is sort of like a You Tube for bird watchers.

Photo by Jayne Gulbrand

There are plenty of organized bird walks at nature centers and parks around the state at all times of year. It is a good way to get started because you have the benefit not only of folks perhaps more experienced than you, but the more eyes there are the more birds you will see.  Many of these bird walks are free or have only a minimal fee.  There are many bird clubs and groups in Connecticut that you can also hook up with. See one of the links to the right.

Or you can go out on your own.  Almost anywhere: a walk down the street, in your local park, or even bird watching from your car. I have seen some great birds along the side of the road or on a highway light pole.  Check out some of the nature areas listed in my links to the right. You can even call a phone number or go on the internet and find out what rare birds might be visiting in your area: CT Statewide Hotline:  203-254-3665, Eastern CT Hotline:  860-599-5195, or with the Virtual Birder.

I hope you might venture out and turn your eyes upward too.  If you have a bird watching question or comment, or a topic you would like to hear about in my new blog, please feel free to comment below here on this blog, or email me at madelinedennis@optonline.net. 

Next Blog – Hunting in the Nutmeg State

Check out my listing of Connecticut nature and environmental web sites to the right on this page.