A Beginner’s Guide to Local Birdwatching

The 2020s have been the decade of the bird. Birdwatching and birding (no, they’re not quite the same thing) is the new fad for all ages, especially post-quarantine. It seems like everyone is outside now, looking up at the trees, trying to catch a glimpse of some weird fluttery creature with an even weirder name, especially here in the PNW, where birds and natural areas are abundant.

Birdwatching used to be the go-to hobby for outdoorsy folks with a lot of free time, usually in addition to hiking or backpacking, but now the birdwatching phenomenon seems to have spread far and wide. People who aren’t usually big nature fans are heading outside to join in on the hunt for Virginia Rails and Great Horned Owls, even with little experience or interest in other nature hobbies. So what is it about birds that seems to have drawn in so many people? And why now? And how do you escape the dreaded birdwatching FOMO?

Let’s start with the basics. Birdwatching is, as you might guess, a hobby that involves watching or locating birds, while birding is more of a communal activity. You can birdwatch anywhere, anytime, with anyone (or alone!), but birding is usually done with a local group of folks who alert each other to bird sightings. One birder will spot, say, a Green Heron, send a message to their birding group, and hordes of people will make their way over to catch a glimpse (for as long as the bird sits pretty, of course). I think of birding as more of a chase—you are actively seeking out a specific kind of bird, whereas birdwatching is more of a casual noticing of birds around you.

American Robin atop a tree

The Evergreen Echo

I am definitely more of a birdwatcher. While there are a couple of birds I try to seek out (beloved Kingfisher, how I long to see you once again), my hobby is more casual. I’m happy to see any kind of bird no matter how common. I like snapping a photo or two, but there’s no real hurry for me. Others take the hobby much more seriously and rigorously. There’s no right way to approach it, and the options are open to you.

This optional involvement and varying level of commitment is something that attracts a lot of people towards birding and birdwatching. Whether you’re working full time, retired, or can only manage to go out for an hour a week, there are going to be birds to see. Not only that, but what you see changes every time. It almost has the appeal of gambling: Will I see a Wood Duck today? How about a Blue Jay? Every walk or trip to your favorite birdwatching spot is a roll of the dice.

Another great thing about the hobby of birding is that it doesn’t come with a lot of equipment, and how much time and money you want to put into it is really up to you. As long as you have a way to get outside, you can birdwatch, no fancy equipment needed. Even if you don’t know the name of every bird you see, you can still enjoy birds—their colors, their habits, their flight. Of course, you can enhance the experience with a bunch of different tools. Binoculars (or ‘nocs’), a bird guide, bird apps, a weather-proof notepad and pen, and a billion different options for camera set-ups and editing software.

But again, how much you put in is up to you. For me, I have a trusty pair of ‘nocs, a metric ton of bird guides, the Merlin Bird ID app (I’ll talk more about that soon) and a notebook for when I see something especially exciting or that I want to know more about. I also have a camera, but photography is more of a secondary hobby for me, and I don’t take it on every birdwatching trip. Other birders I know have way more equipment than that, and others have way less; some pay for expensive equipment, but even some cost-effective items can make the experience fun.

Bird identification apps are a common part of the birdwatching and birding experience. While getting your hands on a physical guidebook can be a lot of fun (I have my fair share of them), you can also use the dozens of bird-watching apps at your disposal. Sure, Googling “small bird, red spot on wings” might yield the result you’re looking for, but it’s not terribly accurate.

Some apps are better than others, but I recommend Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab for someone starting out. It’s a free app, and you start by downloading bird info for the region you live in. Then you have three options for searching up your mystery bird—taking a photo, recording their birdsong, or using a short questionnaire. Not only does the app show you a bunch of pictures to make sure your ID is as accurate as possible, but it also tells you a bunch of fun facts about your new avian friend. While it certainly isn’t perfect, especially for bird species that might look similar to each other, I would say it’s pretty reliable for helping you ID your bird. I also love the Bird of the Day on the homepage, and the information available about every bird you plug into the app.

Hawk surveying the world from on high

The Evergreen Echo

Ornithology (the study of birds) is a never-ending well of interesting facts and ample research, which is another reason people are diving into birdwatching. I’ll go into some of the fun things we’ve learned about birds in the second half of this guide, but for now I’ll leave you with a summary—birds are weirdos! They have tons of incredible mating rituals, nesting practices, and come in a million different shapes and sizes with funky feathers and strange beaks all over the place. Each bird is unique and fascinating, and with over 11,000 bird species, you’ll never run out of new birds to discover or old birds to learn all about.

So now that you know what birdwatching is all about, it’s always a good time to start! From the comfort of your balcony, favorite trail, or even a nearby sidewalk, you can get ready to look for birds. While it can sometimes take a trained eye to find them, especially those good at blending in or staying still, most birds are fluttery and flashy—hard to miss. Start with your local pigeons and crows, then start noticing the mockingbirds and robins; from there you might grow into looking for hawks and falcons, and before you know it, you’ll be out there with the rest of us, hunting down a good look at the local Virginia Rail or trying to catch a Blue Jay unawares. The possibilities are endless.

In the next part of this short Beginner’s Guide, I’ll share some fun lingo to impress your non-birding friends, and get you started with some fun facts and what you should look out for while birding!

Until then, happy birding!