Adventures in Birdwatching [VHS]

Join ornithologist and nature enthusiast Ken Dial as he travels to several birding hot spots filled with the most spectacular species of birds imaginable. Vol. 1 - Florida Wading Birds: You'll visit Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Sanibel, Florida known for its glamorous wading birds such as Roseate Spoonbills, Great Blue Herons, Double Crested Cormorants, and Red-shouldered Hawks. Massachusetts Songbirds: Tour the Mount Auburn Cemetery to catch a glimpse of the songbirds flit about the trees in morning song. Vol. 2 - Washington Predators: Get a close-up look at predators ranging from Hawks and Eagles to Gulls and the American Crow at the Northwest Raptor Rehab Center. Arizona Hummingbirds: Hike through the Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon Preserve and see the Broad-billed, Allen's and the Violet-crowned hummingbirds. Vol. 3 - Rare Birds of Costa Rica: A birdwatcher's paradise, Costa Rica is the land bridge for some of the most rare and elusive birds, such as the Bare-necked Umbrellabird. Prime Tropical Real Estate: Visit some of the avian residents of Costa Rica to see how they are faring in this beautiful and rapidly developing place.

Price: $49.95

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Better Birdwatching in Oklahoma & Texas

This DVD features over 90 minutes of video and audio for about 150 bird species commonly found in the region and is ideal for beginners. Beginning and advanced birdwatchers will enjoy viewing unique and entertaining behaviors, preferred habitats for each species, and diagnostic field marks and sounds for species identification. Sophisticated menus on the DVD allow you to quickly locate species of interest and the DVDs can be played on regular and portable DVD players and computers with DVD drives. 0.50 inches tall x 5.25 inches long x 7.50 inches wide

Price: $19.99

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Two Campgrounds Great for Bird Watching, Hiking and Beautiful Views

Dedicated to finding campgrounds that have beautiful views of natural settings, I recommend Bog Springs and Lakeview campgrounds located near Tucson, Arizona in Coronado National Forest for their beautiful views of the unique terrain of southeastern Arizona. They're also great for bird watching and hiking.

Bog Springs Campground

Bog Springs is the only campground in Madera Canyon - a world-class birding area with over 200 species of birds. Hawks, Quail, Doves, Road Runners, Owls, Woodpeckers, Hummingbirds, Jays, Cardinals, Mockingbirds, Thrashers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Bridled Titmice, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and many more bird species can all be seen in the Madera Canyon area. The campground is at an elevation of 5,200 feet and is small (only 13 camp sites). Once the birds arrive in early spring, it fills up fast. Weekdays are best for finding a camp site during the peak bird watching season.

It's also a great base camp for hiking, biking and stargazing. Three trails leave from the campground to nearby springs and the campground is just a short walk away from Madera Picnic Area, where there is access to a nature trail. Within driving distance are over 65 miles of Forest trails that lead into the Mt. Wrightson Wilderness, a mountain bike ride around spectacular Elephant Head Rock, and three scenic drives, one of which visits the Smithsonian's Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory.

If you're not a bird watcher and don't like to hike, Bog Springs is still a great campground to visit with beautiful views of the Santa Rita Mountains and surrounding desert/arid landscape. The campground is open all year. We visited the campground in Late November (not many birds that time of year). The weather and scenery were gorgeous. Most of the camp sites had beautiful views of the mountains and desert landscape. There were only 2 other campers in the campground at the time. Most of the camp sites are shaded and well spaced with boulders, trees and other vegetation providing good separation between sites. Some of the sites are terraced which also provides separation. The campground has a rustic feel but is very easy to get to with paved roads almost all the way to the entrance.

Getting to the campground is easy. From Tuscon, go toward Green Valley (about 25 miles). Off Interstate 19, take the Continental Road/Madera Canyon Exit. Turn east and follow the Madera Canyon signs 12.5 miles to the campground.

For more information on this campground, call the District National Forest office at 520-281-2296.

Lakeview Campground

Lakeview campground is located on a hill overlooking Parker Canyon Lake. Many of the campsites are well shaded and are spread among a stand of oaks and junipers. Although the campground is just a short walk to the lakeshore, only the tent sites have views of the beautiful clear waters of Parker Canyon Lake.

Lakeview Campground is more remote and less accessible than other campgrounds which is a plus if you don't like crowds. There is a five mile trail hugging the shoreline that leads around Parker Canyon Lake. The lake is great for watching ducks and other waterfowl as well as bald eagles, osprey and even hummingbirds in season. The trail has several viewing areas with benches and interpretive signs.

Parker Canyon Lake is also great for fishing. It offers both cold and warm water species, including stocked rainbow trout and resident bass, sunfish, and catfish. There is a fishing pier and a paved boat ramp at the lake. There is also a small concessionaire-operated store at the lakeshore for boating, fishing and other supplies.

Getting there from Tucson isn't quite as easy as Bog Springs. A good bit of the access roads are not paved. From Tucson, travel east on Interstate 10 to State Route 83 (exit 281) and turn south 50 miles through Sonoita to Parker Canyon Lake.

For more information on Lakeview campground call the District National Forest office at 520-378-0311.
If you like bird watching, hiking, fishing or boating and appreciate beautiful views from your camp site, try Bog Springs or Lakeview campgrounds.

Carl Zimmerman

Bird Watching for Beginners

Bird watching is the observation of birds. It may also be known as birding. A favorite pastime or hobby for many people, according to US Fish and Wildlife Service there are currently 51.3 million birders in the United States alone and this number continues to grow. Bird watching is a great way to spend time outside and enjoy the natural habitats in which different birds live. Bird watching entails both your visual and auditory senses. At times you may hear the bird before you see it. Bird watching is a great for anyone that loves variety and a challenge while pursuing their hobby.

Tools for the Beginning Bird Watcher

There are definite tools that you will need to get started with your new hobby. First on your list should be a good reference book or two. The book should be one in which can easily find the bird that you may be specifically looking for or one that helps you to identify the type of bird that you have seen. There are many great field guides to choose from to get the perfect book for you. Check with your local bookstore. The next items on your list are pencils and a pad or journal. A journal is a wonderful way to record where you have spotted a specific bird as well as keeping notes about the bird’s habitat and activities. The next essential tool that the beginning bird watcher will need is a pair of binoculars. The old adage “you get what you pay for” is true with binoculars. It is important that you choose binoculars that will allow you to clearly see the subtle features of the birds you are looking for. Most bird watchers choose a 7 or 8 power magnification and a 32 to 42 objective lens. These numbers will read 8 x 32 and is usually recommended for the beginning birder. Birders that wear glasses should look for binoculars that have a long eye relief. A long eye relief will provide an unrestricted view. An 8 x 32 binocular will give a wider view and are easier to hold steady. There are a number of other pieces of equipment that you can buy, but with these listed here you can easily get started with your new hobby.

Where, oh where are all of the birds?

You have your tools and are ready to get started bird watching. Where do you start first? There are a number of great ways to find the right spot to start bird watching the first of which being your backyard. This helps you to learn to use your references, what you want to document, and getting the feel for using your binoculars. Besides, the backyard can provide a wide range of birds that are fascinating to watch and identify. Some of the factors that you should consider are the time of year, time of day, and the habitat in which you live. This helps you to learn what birds live in your area and gives you a starting point.

Exploring the Bird Watchers World

Once you feel comfortable with the basic tools and observe a few birds you will want to spread your wings. There is a whole world to explore and groups to join if you so choose. Resources for groups, trips, vacations and specific species of birds can easily be found by doing a little research. The Audubon Society is a great place to start. Visit your local library for current birding magazines. Searching the Internet can also help you to find what you are looking for.

Bird watching, or birding, is a wonderful hobby for anyone that loves our fine-feathered friends. By yourself in the backyard or on an exotic vacation, you will always have a wonderful time with this hobby. The main thing to remember is to have fun!

Pj Hall

Bird Watching is a recreation anyone can enjoy at anytime of the year

Do you ever have a day when you have nothing to do ?, You know them times when your on the internet in some chat room, and you type ' I'm bored ! ', or your flipping through the TV channels, and you say to yourself or out loud ' 250 channels, and nothing good to watch ! ', yes, you know what I am talking about. Now you have something you can do on them so called boring days, go bird watching.

No matter where you live you probably have birds of some kind, even folks in New York have central park and other places where they can go bird watching. There are three things you should have when bird watching, these are a pair of binoculars, a notebook, and a bird guide.

Binoculars can be purchased for under $60 at most Kmart or Walmart stores. Binoculars with a magnification of 10 x 50 are perfect for bird watching. Don't think that a more powerful pair of binoculars like 20 x 60 or 30 x 80 are better, this is not the case. Stronger binoculars are fine if you are into star gazing, but they are horrible for bird watching. The higher powered binoculars need a tripod to use them without shaking, and even without a tripod, the powerful binoculars are larger and can be very heavy to carry around, the 10 x 50 ones are perfect for every occasion.

A small tablet or notebook can be purchased at most stores, don't get nothing expensive just a small spiral one will do fine. Now the last thing is the most important item when it comes to bird watching. If you are truly going to watch birds, you should know what type of birds you are looking at when you spot a new one, so visit your local book store or look in the birding section of an online bookstore, such as amazon, at the end of this article I have a website address that has some of Amazons best bird guides, videos, binoculars and more.

Ok, so you have your binoculars, notebook and pencil, and your bird guide, now let's go outside and go bird watching. I am sure you won't have to walk very far to spot a bird or two. I am lucky enough to currently live here in the country, all I have to do is open my door and I will hear the sounds of birds. If I step outside my front door, I can often see sparrows or finches, in the spring time the yard always has a couple robins hopping around, and crows flying around the nearby woods, high overhead I often see turkey buzzards soaring against the blue sky. One time I opened my front door and across the road in the top of a large tree a horned owl was sitting, it stayed there for about 10 minutes, turning it's head often as it looked around.

If you have any grassy, wooded or open areas with trees or bushes, you can usually find birds. One of the best things about bird watching is anyone can do it, even if your in a wheelchair, you can sit and watch birds. It's a great recreation for anyone that is alone, or for the whole family to do together.

When you go out, remember to take your bird watching items with you, your binoculars, notebook and pencil, and bird guide. When you spot a bird look in your binoculars too see all it's beauty in close detail, if you do not recognize the species of bird your seeing, get out your bird guide and look it up. When you realize the type of bird you see, write down in your notebook the following information; ' the name of the bird, the area where it was spotted, the date, and time '. The information in your notebook, helps you understand what types of birds frequent your area, it also is pretty neet being able to read back and see when you spotted a new or rare bird.

If you have a yard, tree or even a window you can attract birds by installing a simple feeder. Bird feeders are very inexpensive and they have feeders that can hang on a tree branch, or fence, or even stick to the outside of a window.

Attracting different species of birds often requires different types of bird seed and other food. Hummingbirds are attracted to red, pink and orange flowers, they especially like trumpet vines or other tubular-flowered plants, they are also very attracted to hummingbird feeders filled with sugar water or red sweetened kool-aid. Robins like mowed lawns, so in the spring and summer if you want to see robins, mow your grass, the birds come looking for bugs and earthworms that are more easily accessible because you cut the grass length. Goldfinches love thistle seed, thistle is more expensive then most common bird seed, but you cannot beat it if you want to attract goldfinches. Blue Jays are large and sometimes noisy, but if you want to bring them, put out a feeder full of black oil sunflower seeds. Cardinals are very neat looking, there is nothing nicer than looking out the window in the winter, and seeing a bright red cardinal sitting on a nearby tree branch or feeder. Cardinals are like Blue Jays, in that they both love a diet of black oil sunflower seeds. If you want to attract sparrows, a bag of plain mixed bird seed will do just fine.

There is Computer Software that is made just for ' Bird Watching '. The software is called: ' Bird Watcher Professional ', you can read the details and download a trial version of it for free at this website address:

http://www.rb59.com/bwpro

Here is a website address that has some of the best Bird Guides (Books), Videos, Binoculars and other birding equipment that Amazon sells:

http://www.rb59.com/bwpro/bird-watching-information.html

Robert W. Benjamin