Birdwatching is the fastest growing outdoor activity in America, and it is an activity that you can keep on doing all of your life.
You can birdwatch in your own backyard, at the local park, or anywhere that you care to travel. Birdwatching is so popular that you can find groups everywhere, and even find travel tours that will take you to exotic locales.
Most of my birdwatching is done from my easy chair. Without leaving home I can watch as many as nine different kinds of birds visiting my bird feeder. My husband haunts the local parks and dog watching areas, and when we go hiking he is always eager to point out Yellow Bellied Sap Suckers or elusive Goldfinches.
You can birdwatch on your own, but joining a club and walking with other "birders" can be a lot of fun. Subscribe to a bird lovers magazine, buy a bird books and treat yourself to a good pair of binoculars.
What do you need to get started? A field guide, which is a little book with all sorts of information about birds in your area. A hat to protect you from morning mist or too much sunshine, and a birding vest (one with tons of pockets so that you can have everything you need close at hand). A notebook so that you can record and describe what you see isn't a necessity, but it will help you focus in on details and help you keep track of special sitings. Last but not least you will need a good pair of binoculars. Birds move very quickly so it is to your advantage to have a pair of binoculars of your own.
Binoculars are probably the most import item because it is pretty hard to really see something the size of your thumb, up close and personal, without them. You need a pair that is light weight enough to carry with you but sturdy enough to survive a lot of use. They must be easy to hold steady and easy to focus. If you have to fiddle around with the controls you won't be able to see anything. Believe me, if it takes too long you will be lucky to even find the tree branch where said bird had been siting just seconds before. Your binoculars must focus quickly and they must show the whole picture. Be sure that the binocular are dust and moisture proof and work well even if you wear glasses.
Try out a number of binoculars in person. This is the only way to figure out how much magnification you can hold steady, how much weight is comfortable to carry, and if they are are comfortable and work well if you wear glasses,
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