The Tick List Software Company
Learn about birdwatching....
| Home | Slide Show | Read More | About Us | Community | BUY NOW | Contact Us | ©2003 The Tick List Software Company |
Equipment you will need
Birdwatching must be one of the cheapest hobbies to take up because you do not actually need any equipment at all. A lot can be learned about birds simply by keeping your eyes open, and by remembering what you observe. However, to see birds more easily and to retain as well as interpret the information you gain about them, you need a small amount of inexpensive equipment. There is not much to be gained from bird watching if you do not know which birds you are observing. A good field guide that will help you to name the birds you see is essential. A field guide is a book that has illustrations of all the birds you are likely to see in the region where you live. You should choose one that you can understand and use easily. It should fit into a coat pocket so that your hands will be free when you are not consulting it. There are also many websites that feature birds as well as bird song and video of birds, see our links on this website. Bird Tick List Pro also helps you identify birds by linking to websites automatically to show you images and information about birds.
A field guide is not the only kind of book that is useful to a bird watcher. To understand and learn more about birds, it is a good idea to read general books about birdwatching and the lives of birds. Some may tell you how to make the most of bird watching, like this article, and give practical hints and advice. Keen bird watchers will also want to read bird journals and magazines, which are published by bird societies, These publications give news about birds, as well as special articles on aspects of birds that you would not find in a book. New discoveries about birds are usually published first in such journals.
Binoculars And Telescopes
It is usually difficult to get very close to a wild bird, Unless you are hiding, the bird will become well aware of your presence long before you approach closely. As soon as it feels threatened by you, whether or not you mean any harm, it will fly away. Birds may also be hard to see close up because they live in remote places that you cannot reach, or because they usually keep to the air. To be sure of getting a good view of any bird, you will have to carry a pair of binoculars or a telescope. Binoculars and telescopes can give you a close-up view of a bird that is nearby without you having to approach it and disturb it. They can also give you a view of a distant bird that is large enough for identification and general observation.
Binoculars are easier to use than telescopes, but they do not give such a magnified view. This is not necessarily a disadvantage, because the field of view (how much you can see) gets smaller as the magnification increases. Having a small field of view makes it difficult to locate a bird, and to keep track of it if it is moving. On the other hand, you do want sufficient magnification to show up details of the bird's body and its behaviour. Every pair of binoculars bears a sign such as 8 x 30 or 10 x 50. The first number indicates the magnification of the instrument. The bird will appear eight times (8 x) or ten times (10 X ) bigger than it appears to the naked eye. The second figure is the diameter of each of the objective lenses (the bigger lenses) in millimetres. The higher this figure, then the wider the field of view and the brighter the image seen. From this, you might think that you should get a pair of binoculars with the highest figures indicated. However, big binoculars are heavy and tiring to hold up to the eyes. Also, if the magnification is too high, the image appears to dance about as your hands shake. In practice, the largest binoculars that can be satisfactorily used for birdwatching are 10 x 50, and the smallest 7 x 30. Choose a pair in between these limits that produce the sharpest image for the price you can afford, but do not buy a pair that feels too heavy. When birdwatching, always carry the binoculars on a strap around your neck - in case you drop them.
Telescopes give much higher magnifications than binoculars - from about 20 x up to about 60 x . They can give a very good view of distant birds, but should be fixed to a tripod to prevent the image shaking. Some telescopes have zoom lenses, which are useful for locating birds at low power and then zooming in on them to get a close-up view.
Birdwatching must be one of the cheapest hobbies to take up because you do not actually need any equipment at all. A lot can be learned about birds simply by keeping your eyes open, and by remembering what you observe. However, to see birds more easily and to retain as well as interpret the information you gain about them, you need a small amount of inexpensive equipment. There is not much to be gained from bird watching if you do not know which birds you are observing. A good field guide that will help you to name the birds you see is essential. A field guide is a book that has illustrations of all the birds you are likely to see in the region where you live. You should choose one that you can understand and use easily. It should fit into a coat pocket so that your hands will be free when you are not consulting it. There are also many websites that feature birds as well as bird song and video of birds, see our links on this website. Bird Tick List Pro also helps you identify birds by linking to websites automatically to show you images and information about birds.
A field guide is not the only kind of book that is useful to a bird watcher. To understand and learn more about birds, it is a good idea to read general books about birdwatching and the lives of birds. Some may tell you how to make the most of bird watching, like this article, and give practical hints and advice. Keen bird watchers will also want to read bird journals and magazines, which are published by bird societies, These publications give news about birds, as well as special articles on aspects of birds that you would not find in a book. New discoveries about birds are usually published first in such journals.
Binoculars And Telescopes
It is usually difficult to get very close to a wild bird, Unless you are hiding, the bird will become well aware of your presence long before you approach closely. As soon as it feels threatened by you, whether or not you mean any harm, it will fly away. Birds may also be hard to see close up because they live in remote places that you cannot reach, or because they usually keep to the air. To be sure of getting a good view of any bird, you will have to carry a pair of binoculars or a telescope. Binoculars and telescopes can give you a close-up view of a bird that is nearby without you having to approach it and disturb it. They can also give you a view of a distant bird that is large enough for identification and general observation.
Binoculars are easier to use than telescopes, but they do not give such a magnified view. This is not necessarily a disadvantage, because the field of view (how much you can see) gets smaller as the magnification increases. Having a small field of view makes it difficult to locate a bird, and to keep track of it if it is moving. On the other hand, you do want sufficient magnification to show up details of the bird's body and its behaviour. Every pair of binoculars bears a sign such as 8 x 30 or 10 x 50. The first number indicates the magnification of the instrument. The bird will appear eight times (8 x) or ten times (10 X ) bigger than it appears to the naked eye. The second figure is the diameter of each of the objective lenses (the bigger lenses) in millimetres. The higher this figure, then the wider the field of view and the brighter the image seen. From this, you might think that you should get a pair of binoculars with the highest figures indicated. However, big binoculars are heavy and tiring to hold up to the eyes. Also, if the magnification is too high, the image appears to dance about as your hands shake. In practice, the largest binoculars that can be satisfactorily used for birdwatching are 10 x 50, and the smallest 7 x 30. Choose a pair in between these limits that produce the sharpest image for the price you can afford, but do not buy a pair that feels too heavy. When birdwatching, always carry the binoculars on a strap around your neck - in case you drop them.
Telescopes give much higher magnifications than binoculars - from about 20 x up to about 60 x . They can give a very good view of distant birds, but should be fixed to a tripod to prevent the image shaking. Some telescopes have zoom lenses, which are useful for locating birds at low power and then zooming in on them to get a close-up view.
Spotting scopes give excellent views of birds at long distance
With a larger field of view binoculars are more versatile as birds are easier to find
Marsh tit
Willow tit
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |