Bird watching is one of the lovable and peaceful activities; the hobby of watching birds will never be dull. It's a healthy venture that acts as a bridge to connect the people back to nature. Birds are almost everywhere, you can watch the birds from backyards, local parks, or far-off locations, on the whole, bird watching is a complete treat to the eyes and the best stress reducer.
Usually, we watch these birds with the naked eye, but to explore and view more it's good to get the proper equipment as it can enhance the experience. Birding involves patience, calmness, careful observation, and showcases the beauty of the natural world. Birding is a chance to get out and explore, most of us will not have a keen knowledge about the wildlife and rare species in nature, so birding is not just to collect information it's a way to form deeper connections with natural habitats.
Equipment Essentials For The Birdwatchers:
Let's get into the quick start guide for beginner birdwatchers.
1. Backpack
Backpacks are essential for any outdoors as they will help the users to feel free in the wild. It allows the birders for hands-free viewing during the birdwatching adventure. Plan what you need to put in your backpack, place all the things relevant to your destination. The cameras, tripods, scopes are must-bring gadgets in addition to that pack the basic first aid supplies including band-aids, a headlamp, sunscreen, a bug spray drink, and a snack.
Opt for a light backpack with a large number of compartments to place the field guides, checklists, journal, hat, birding book, water, boots, and anything else that suits your needs. A lightweight raincoat is always an intelligent option to pack in your backpack, that's pretty, much, everything you'll need for bird-watching.
2. Binoculars
A good pair of binoculars is essential for birdwatchers, it's the most significant piece of equipment that you'll ever need. The real enjoyment of bird watching depends on how they look through your binoculars, if the gadget is good you'll visualize the big, bright, and crisp pictures.
Thermal binoculars are the most appealing tool among the nature lovers, hunters, outdoor explorers; it has two objective lenses and thus produces thermal images of the surrounding objects which will be quite useful during low-light conditions too. Without binoculars you can't view the beautiful birds on a high spot, it's an essential tool for new and old bird-watching enthusiasts.
3. Field Guide
A birdwatching field guide normally includes maps, field marks, as well as all the information regarding bird migration. If you're new to birding then it might be quite challenging to differentiate between one species and another, also while you're in a dense forest the mobile networks also might not give hope, so using the internet is not an option.
In such cases, the best birding field guide is the only option as it includes info from migration areas, maps, to new species drawings, etc. Even a newbie can easily find out the birds because in the guide there is one bird to a page, an illustration of the bird, and its description.
4. Spotting Scope
"A spotting scope" as the name implies it spots the object and gives a better field of view even if the birds are extremely far off in the distance. Spotting scopes are the best companion for birders as it gives a deep and detailed look at birds so it's easy to identify them.
These scopes are designed to have a powerful magnification plus zoom lens; it falls in a range of 15x to 60x, which is really enough to go closer to the object. Spend time with the birds which you’ve never seen before, identify what are they, under which species it comes from, their natural habitat, etc. A spotting scope is a must-bring tool to explore the birds even if they are at distance.
5. Camera
No one will miss the chance of capturing the rare and beautiful birds in the wild! Hope you're also the one! Many birders enjoy the birding experiences by bringing cameras; just a snap is enough for recollecting the memories and identifying them later.
Go for the right birding location to enhance your birding experience, if this is done perfectly then what to wait for! Just go and rock! High-quality cameras can capture images with clarity, fabulous color, and precision. You can capture the birdwatching subjects for sharing and documenting your adventurous trip.
6. Tripod
There are spotting scopes, binoculars, and cameras in our list, for ease of use it's good to go with a tripod, you can place a scope on the tripods for visualizing a good view of the birds. Tripods will never disappoint you in any case as they're definitely a worthy investment. For long lenses, a good tripod is essential, first of all, keep your tripod sturdy so that it may be comfortable to use.
While capturing long shots the camera must be in a fixed position, if not you'll get shaky or blurry images, so invest in a good one. Thanks to the tripod design as it is highly appreciable due to its ability to capture macro photographs and panoramas.
7. Notepad And Pen
Keeping a notebook and pen is good for taking notes while bird watching, if you're a nature lover you may want to document all the adventures and findings. Thus having a journal and pen will aid you in remembering what birds you looked at, the noises they made, the name of the species, and all other important details. Just sit and watch the birds carefully and calmly to take a note of it, once the bird has gone write a brief description suddenly to remember later.
8. Birding Hat
A birding hat will never go out of style as it helps to escape from the bright sun; it's a simple yet useful thing to pack. This will be an irreplaceable tool especially when you're birding in sunny weather, thus you can feel free from headaches, blurred vision, and other physical issues.
It comes in handy and makes you comfortable throughout the birding session. Due to the breathable hats you can get rid of sweat and identify the species with a clear mind.
Final Thoughts
Birding is an enjoyable hobby that calms our minds and helps to connect with nature which gives inner peace and is always good for the soul. You can watch the birds at a feeder in your backyard or go outdoors to see the different species on rocky hills, ice lands, dense forests, by the way, bird watching can be addictive. Immerse into this wonderful activity and enjoy your life peacefully!
Explore with your friends or family members of all ages, there are spectacular varieties of species that we would have never seen or heard before, birds will be in various sizes, colors, vocals, and beauty. Just record the vocals and hear, it's a captivating endeavor. Go through our checklist and be prepared to experience it in the wild, hope the list will be useful for you!! If you’re an avid bird-watcher share your thoughts and experiences with us.
