How to Be a Birdwatcher?
Ask Science interviews a couple of junior scientists (his young daughters) about the art and science of birding. Get tips on how your kids can become birdwatchers too.
My family is full of junior scientists. For example, my two daughters, codenamed Jay and Robin, are huge fans of birds and birdwatching. I asked them to join me today talk about the art and science of birding. Find out how your kids can get involved in this fun outdoor activity.
Sponsor: Netflix Instant Streaming. Watch thousands of TV episodes and movies on your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Touch. Or on your TV through your XBox, PS3 or Wii. All streamed instantly by Netflix, saving you time, money and hassle. For a free 30-day trial, including the new Netflix Original Series Hemlock Grove, go to https://www.netflix.com/qdt.
Ask Science: So we’re here to talk about birds. Tell me, why do you like to study birds?
Jay: I think they’re interesting because they’re animals but their ways are very different from humans, so that makes them very interesting to study.
Ask Science: How about you Robin?
Robin: I think that it’s interesting to study them because with humans there’s only one type of human: human. But with birds there are all sorts of different species all over the world.
Ask Science: So let’s say I wanted to get started studying birds. What would be the first thing that I should do?
Jay: Well first you should get some books from the library, or buy them off the Internet; books that teach you how to study birds.
Ask Science: Do you have any particular recommendations?
Robin: Well I think that the RSPB books are good.
Ask Science: The RSPB, that’s the https://www.rspb.org.uk/; that’s a British society, is that correct? And in America they have books like the Peterson’s field guide, which is a similar type of book. Is that right?
Robin: Yes
Ask Science: So why is it important to have a good field guide? Why does that help you?
Robin: Well, if you see a bird, and you don’t know what it is, and you’re like: “What kind of bird is this?” you can look at your bird field guide and flip through the pages to try and find it.
Ask Science: So you’ve got your books, what do you need next?
Jay: Well, you need some equipment. The first thing you’d probably want is a notebook and some pencils to write things down, and maybe some binoculars to see birds that are far away.
Ask Science: And what sorts of things do you usually write down?
Jay: I usually write down things about the bird, and what the bird is doing. Because when you look the birds up in the field guide, it also talks about how the different birds act, so that can make them easier to find.
Robin: I think you should get some colored pencils to draw pictures of the birds, which also makes them easier to find if the book is illustrated.
Ask Science: Once you’ve gathered all of this information, what do you do with it?
Robin: Now you know different birds, so if someone says to you “Wow, I wonder what that bird is, it’s so nice.” You can say, “It’s a robin.”
Ask Science: Do the two of you have any favorite varieties of birds?
Jay: The jay actually; the jay here in Britain is the Eurasian Jay, and in America it’s the Blue Jay.
Ask Science: Are there any differences between the Eurasian Jay and the Blue Jay?
Jay: The Blue Jay is all blue and it has a crest on its head. The Eurasian Jay has blue and black striped feathers in a couple of places and the rest of it is brown and grey.
Robin: I like Kingfishers because I know that they’re nearby. They can be at the pond, and they’re the most colorful bird in Britain.
Ask Science: Let’s say somebody is interested in bird watching. They’ve started looking at birds and they’ve drawn these pictures. Now how do they take it further?
Jay: They can share their knowledge! They can also visit nature reserves and find even more birds, and they can also talk to experts about birds, or get magazines about birds, or even more books.
Ask Science: Where do you usually go to watch birds? Famous places? Exotic locations?
Robin: Well I haven’t actually been to any exotic locations, but I think going to a pond is a good place to start. Because there are lots of different kinds of birds near it, and if there are trees near it, you can see birds up in the trees. You can also see ducks and moorhens and things in the water. And kingfishers, but kingfishers are very rare.
Ask Science: Do you always have to go someplace to observe birds?
Robin: No! You can observe them right outside of your window.
Ask Science: So anyone could be a birdwatcher right in their own living room, just by staring out the window?
Jay: Yes! But it’s also good to observe them outside, because you can actually see farther.
Ask Science: Well thank you Jay and Robin for being on the Ask Science show today and telling us about bird watching.
So there you have it, straight from the mouths of the experts. Bird watching can be fun and enjoyable, and it’s easy to get started.
If you liked today’s episode, you can https://www.facebook.com/qdteinstein or https://twitter.com/qdteinstein, where I’m https://twitter.com/qdteinstein. If you have a question that you’d like to see on a future episode, send me an email at mailto:everydayeinstein@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email.
Bird Watcher, Eurasian Jay and Kingfisher images from Shutterstock
You May Also Like…
About the Author
Dr. Lee Falin earned a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois, then went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology from Virginia Tech.
