How to start birding – intro 5. Why birds?
While digital photography allows us to shoot all types of nature and it is in fact easier to shoot bugs and plants than birds, it is still birds which stand out as most popular among nature watching. Perhaps because it is possible to put a name on practically every bird you would photograph. The literature available for identification is complete for birds, while for plants or bugs either the share numbers of species are not manageable, the identification from photos not straight-forward or the literature incomplete or hard to get access to. Birds come in manageable numbers and can quite safely be identified to species.
Perhaps is it also the fascination people have for birds. Birds occupy every niche on the planet, birds are beautiful, birds represent hope, and birds accompany and give flavor to the changes of the seasons. Birds represent freedom and we envy their ability to fly. Birds come in fascinating shapes and forms: From Hummingbirds to Penguins. From Albatrosses to Warblers. (…click for a larger image…)
Taking all this into account, is there any wonder that birding is the part of nature watching which is most attractive to new adepts. It is also a hobby you can bring with you anywhere in the world. Wherever you are there are always birds to see.
Top Photo: House Sparrows and Black-headed Gull. Paris. Bird Mind Control by PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE -on Flickr.
Field guides for the beginner birders. Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie
Collage from Flickr Creative Commons. Annas Hummingbird (Danny Perez), Emperor Penguin (Anne Froehlich), Bullers Albatross (Duncan – Angry Sunbird), Masked Yellowthroat (Naathas)
This was the fifth pre intro-post in the birdwatching from the beginning series. If you liked this post, please consider subscribing to this blog, share the posts via email, or on Facebook, Google plus and Twitter, tell your friends and take your friends birding. Check the sharing options below. Soon the real chapters in the blogseries will begin.
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Gunnar Engblom
Connect with Gunnar on Facebook or Twitter or kolibriexp@gmail.com