Birdwatching has long been a popular and affordable hobby for the young and old alike, and provided you have somewhere to go to be able to see birds in their natural habitat, and have at the very minimum a pair of cost-effective general purpose binoculars, you can enjoy birdwatching as a hobby wherever, and whoever you are. When coupled with wildlife photography or journalism, it can even be pursued as a career.
Birdwatching is actually a very fulfilling hobby, too, and is a great way to get people out of their homes to appreciate nature and feel its relaxing influence. Studies over the years have shown that by spending time in nature and slowing down the pace of our daily lives, we can balance our physiology and even encourage our bodies to produce more of those feelgood hormones we love so much! Not only that, but it can be fun to spot birds and compete with others in your community to locate the rarest birds, too.
Relaxing, rewarding, and often fun, here are a few tips for anyone seeking to pursue birdwatching as a pastime:
Get yourself prepared
Urban environments, while offering up some bird species for sure, will never give you as many opportunities to see birds in their natural habitat, so find areas that you can easily access within your locality, to get started. For some, that may be as simple as stepping out into their garden, while for others, they may need to take a short walk to a local beauty spot, or jump in the car and drive to a nearby nature reserve, for example.
Make the most of educational resources
You can learn a lot about birds and how to spot and identify them, by reading recent publications about birdwatching, listening to sound clips of birdsongs online, or simply reading popular bird books and guides; your local library will likely have a good selection.
Attract birds with food
By scattering appropriate bird food on the ground, you can attract different varieties of birds, and may even increase your chance of spotting a variety of bird that you’ve never seen before.
Stay patient and enjoy the experience
Patience is almost certainly a virtue when it comes to birdwatching, and ardent birders may find themselves sitting quietly for hours on end, waiting for a particular type of bird to make an appearance. However, this presents the ideal opportunity to simply be still, and take in the sights and sounds of nature; something many of us don’t do (or can’t do) often enough.
Ultimately though, birdwatching can be great fun for everyone, and who wouldn’t want to have fun and feel relaxed and mentally rejuvenated, all at the same time? All you need is to buy a pair of the most compact binoculars in the UK, and you’re good to go!
Suitable for anyone who has an interest in birds, enjoys being outdoors and has a lot of patience, birdwatching is a fantastic hobby to take up, and provides us with a great many benefits.