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What's
the difference between birding and birdwatching?
Birding and birdwatching mean the same thing
the activity of observing wild birds. Birds in cages
or any form of captivity don't count.
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What
do people do when they go birding? Birdwatchers observe
wild birds in their natural habitat. Birdwatching means learning
to identify the birds and understanding what they are doing.
Where
do you watch birds?
Birding is something you can do in your own back yard (it's
a habitat too), your local park, anywhere you travel, or on
trips you take specifically to see birds that live in a certain
environment, such as on a marshland in Candaba, or in the
old-growth forests of the Northern Sierra Madre or in a more
urban setting such as UP Diliman.
Who
watches birds? People of all ages watch birds. It's an
activity you can keep doing all your life, in any part of
the world.
Birding
is the fastest-growing outdoor activity in America. According
to a survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 51.3 million
Americans report that they watch birds. And more are taking
it up all the time.
Here
in the Philippines, foreigners continue to visit remote forests
to see birds that are only found in our country such as the
Philippine Eagle.
Why
birds? Birds have always delighted people all over the
world because of their beauty and their power of flight.
Historically,
they used to be considered omens. The ancient Romans
believed that the flights and calls of birds could
foretell the future.
Today,
modern science still uses birds as a kind of oracle.
Changes in bird populations can reflect the health
of the environment. |
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Some birds
are indicator species. They forecast environmental conditions.
The knowledge of birds can help us plan a better, more sustainable
relationship with nature.
What's
in it for me if I start birding? Fun. Big fun. Something
deep seems to get fulfilled. A connection is made with the
immense beauty of nature.
Satisfaction.
Birding invokes our primeval hunting instincts. It delivers
all the satisfaction of the hunt, even though the prey itself
escapes unharmed. Birding is the perfect sport for the coming
century.
Health.
Birding gets you vertical. It gets you outside and walking.
But it's effortless, because your attention is on the birds.
Nevertheless, after a little birding, you've usually covered
quite a bit of ground.
Family.
Birding unites people across generations. By taking up birding,
parents or grandparents can introduce their children to an
interest in nature that will stay with them all their lives.
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Companionship.
Birding is the ideal social activity. A birder need
never be lonely. Nearly every community has a birding
club of some sort. Well, at least in other countries.
We can always start our own, you know. And because
birders love to share their knowledge, newcomers are
always welcome. |
Solitude.
Birding is also the ideal solitary sport. There's a special
pleasure in going out alone to bird. Your mind settles down.
Your senses open up, and all nature seems to become your friend.
Birding is a sport of many moods, and it serves the causes
of companionship and solitude equally well.
Does
birding contribute to science? Birding also fulfills another
basic instinct - the quest for knowledge. Birding is about
acquiring knowledge. Not just about birds' names, but also
about their songs, their behavior, and how they relate to
the rest of nature. It's a perfect opportunity to enjoy a
unique human pleasure - the successful exercise of lore.
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In
fact, amateur birders often get to make real contributions
to scientific knowledge. Today, much of what ornithology knows
about birds has come from the observations of ordinary but
dedicated birders.
What
do I need to start birding? Not much. A pair of binoculars,
a field guide, and a hat. Maybe a little notebook you carry
in your pocket.
What
kind of binoculars do I need? Any binoculars are better
than none. You can start with whatever you have. See the birding
optics document for more on this topic.
Can
I share binoculars with a friend? Every birder has to
have his, or her, own binoculars. Sharing means one person
doesn't get to see the bird before it flies away. This is
hard on friendships
What's
a field guide? A field guide is a little book
that's packed with information about birds. It's the
next best thing to an expert birder by your side.
It describes and shows pictures of the birds, and
it tells you which details of each bird to look for.
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A
hat? Any old hat will do. Birding is not a fashion contest.
But it should shade your eyes and not interfere with using
your binoculars.
What's
the notebook for? For your birding field notes. It lets
you record what you see. It actually helps you to see, because
when you try to write a description of a bird that encourages
you to observe carefully.
Is
birding expensive? Compared to other sports, birding is
not expensive. A notebook, a field guide, and binoculars,
all together will cost around the same as that of a good pair
of athletic shoes. And they'll take a lot longer to wear out.
We assume you have a hat.
How
do I get started with birdwatching? Well, you can always
contact BirdWatch Philippines (www.birdwatch.ph) and ask about
the next birding trip that is being planned. Or you can just
get your things and head out into the woods or the coast.
Where
should we go to see some birds? There are several sites
popular to birders coming in to the country. Some of these
are:
1. Mt. Makiling, Los banos, Laguna
2. Subic Bay, Zambales
3. Candaba Marsh, Pampanga
4. NOrthern Sierra Madre Nature Park, Cagayan
5. St. Paul's National Park, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
6. Rasa Island, Narra, Palawan
7. Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Cebu
8. Rajah Sikatuna National Park, Bohol
9. Mt. Kitanglad, Bukidnon
10. Mt. Apo National Park, Davao
If
you dont want to go that far, maybe because you have
limited time or resources, there are also destinations within
and around the vicinity of Manila that would prove to be a
fairly good trip. Among these are:
1. University of the Philippines, Quezon
City
2. La Mesa Dam Ecopark, Novaliches
3. Manila Film Center, Pasay
4. Las Pinas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area,
Coastal Road
Anything
else? Yes. Birding is a quest. You set out to
see birds - but the prize you come back with can only
be described as happiness. Learning to bird is like
getting a lifetime ticket to the theater of nature. |
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