Bird Watch

Most people enjoy watching birds and listening to bird song whether it is in the garden, a walk in the countryside or from a car window. For most, it is an occasional distraction  with sightings and recognition of a handful of species. For a few, it becomes a serious interest with frequent and prolonged observation of birds driven by fascination with  their beauty, variety and remarkable behaviour.  And in pursuit of their passion, bird watchers have the added bonus of visiting tranquil, unspoilt and often beautiful habitats.

In this chapter we look at how  bird watchers, beginners or veterans,  identify species and know where to find them.  We also look at some basics when taking bird photographs..

 

Black-crowned Night Heron Bangkok Thailand

1. Identifying Birds - Physical Appearance

Bird watchers use a variety of clues in order to identify birds. For most of us, physical appearance is the starting point. Body shape and size, beaks, legs, eyes can all feature in a bird's profile.
Lilac-breasted Roller Central Kruger South Africa

2. Identifying Birds - Behaviour

Behaviour covers a wide spectrum from foraging and hunting methods to bird song and mating and breeding activity. Below are some of the features to look for with some useful tips on how to make your bird watching successful.
Bali Myna

3. Identifying Birds - Where and When

Ecosystem is the type of environment shared by a variety of flora and fauna, for instance temperate woodland, tropical savanna, mangrove swamp and coastal dunes.  The term Habitat is used to describe the relationship between a particular species and the  immediat

Pond Heron Suan Rot Fai Bangkok Thailand

4. Photography - The Impatient Bird Watcher

Good Technique

There are many books, websites and magazines written by experts better equipped than I am to provide valuable guides to the technical side of photography.

Res-billed Teal Thesen Island South Africa

5. Photography - Composition

Having dealt with basic technique, I now move on to some of the ways to make your pictures interesting and pleasing to the obsverver.

Spotted Dikkop Leisure Island South Africa

6. Activity Centre

Here is another opportunity to go hands on with a range of activities that will check what you know and give you opportunities to look further into the lives of birds.  We look at ways to make bird identification easier and more interesting.