I have always watched birds, though not being a truly devoted traveling, binoculars with me everywhere kind of bird watcher. I am content to watch out the window and see what shows up at the feeders.

I am very surprised this spring to see a number of new species I’ve not witnessed before!

Pine Warblers – everything I have read says they do not visit feeders very often. Maybe mine are very hungry after migrating, but I have a pair who are visiting every day for more than a week now. They are not a rare species, but since I don’t usually traipse about the woods looking for birds, I’ve not seen them before. At first I thought it was a Goldfinch, but the lack of a black cap and faint stripes on the breast gave it away.

Yesterday, a Savannah Sparrow appeared. Even my husband said, what’s that bird with the yellow strips on it’s head? Which means I get out my bird books and hunt online to figure out what species we just saw. And I grab my camera to try and get a photo through the glass door, since I don’t trust my memory to absorb the needed details for identification. Savannahs are another very common bird, but again, not supposed to see them at feeders! Since it’s a grasslands bird, and all I have is tall red pines, I assume he’s passing through.

Last week it was a yellow rumped warbler – probably a female because there was no yellow cap on the head, just a yellow patch on the side of this black and white bird. But I’ve never seen one before, so it’s exciting. This species, according to my reading, will visit suet feeders, though their normal diet is berries and insects, both in short supply this early in the year. Per the Cornell Ornithology website video, the song I heard outside was this little guy!

My bird watching sometimes takes over even work time. Especially when I see something out my office window. For two weeks, the tom turkey has been trying to get the ladies attention …. it wasn’t working well, as he paraded back and forth on the lawn and driveway. But since they are not around now, I assume eventually he gained their affections. I’m hoping the hens bring by all the babies in the future.

Maybe this spring I will go for a few walks with the binoculars and camera….just to see what I can see out there!

A few bird watching tips

• Get a couple good bird guides and carry one with you outdoors. There are also multiple apps, both free at and at nominal costs, that you can download to your phone or tablet. Some allow searches by color, or type of bird.
• carry a small pad/pencil and briefly write down things you notice: colors, eye stripes, wing stripes, size….trust me, you won’t remember!
• get binoculars that are comfortable in your hands, easy to use and practice so you are familiar with the functions
• when you see a bird, don’t take your eyes off it, just raise the binoculars to your eyes. You are already looking right at it!
• to take pictures use a SLR camera and a zoom lens – birds don’t hold still for long, so I shoot with the action or multiple pictures settings…it will take multiple shots per second or as long as I hold down the button. That way I get multiple pictures of the bird as it moves, sometimes getting just the right angle to aid in identification
• investigate a few of the online birding and bird identification sites. There are lots of pictures depicting color variations, videos and audio files for identifying the chirps and songs of each species as well as ways to search if you don’t know exacting what you saw. My favorites are the Cornell Lab of Ornithology All about Birds, Audubon, and the Bird Watchers Digest.
• Take time to learn the songs and calls of local birds and those you are watching. You’ll then be able to recognize new vocals and songs that are unfamiliar to you, which may help identify the new birds.

Have you noticed something new in your area this spring?