Hi Everybody!!
So, Are You a Birder, yet? This is a fantastic hobby and relatively easy to get started. Basically, You just have to look at Birds! Like Photography, You can venture into the Hobby as much as You want. My suggestion would be to familiarize yourself with the Birds in your area first, then go from there. Next, you need a field guide for identification (or updated version would be a phone with internet). Cameras and binoculars are optional. Finally, You go outside to a spot where birds are and You look at them. What You do from there is up to You!
You now have an additional option if You can not go outside, You can go to Google! There are other people like me who post their bird pics. Of course, there are information sites everywhere. The most viewed Bird is the Hummingbird. You are in luck, I just happen to have a few hundred to share! Enjoy!

(Please see link for complete article)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdwatching

Birdwatching

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device likebinoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds.^[1]^[2]

Birdwatching often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are more easily detected and identified by ear than by eye. Most birdwatchers pursue this activity mainly for recreational or social reasons, unlikeornithologists, who engage in the study of birds using formal scientific methods.^[1]^[2]

People birdwatching on Orchid Island in Indian River County, Florida.

Birding, birdwatching, and twitching[edit]

A birdwatching tower in Hankasalmi, Finland.

The first recorded use of the term birdwatcher was in 1891; bird was introduced as a verb in 1918.^[3] The term birding was also used for the practice of fowling or hunting with firearms as in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602): "She laments sir... her husband goes this morning a-birding."^[4] The terms birdingand birdwatching are today used by some interchangeably, although some participants prefer birding, partly because it does not exclude the auditoryaspects of enjoying birds.

In North America, many birders differentiate themselves from birdwatchers, and the term birder is unknown to most lay people. At the most basic level, the distinction is perceived as one of dedication or intensity, though this is a subjective differentiation. Generally, self-described birders perceive themselves to be more versed in minutiae like identification (aural and visual), molt, distribution, migration timing, and habitat usage. Whereas these dedicated birders may often travel specifically in search of birds, birdwatchers have been described by some enthusiasts as having a more limited scope, perhaps not venturing far from their own yards or local parks to view birds.^[1]Indeed, in 1969 a Birding Glossary appeared in Birding magazine which gave the following definitions:

Birder. The acceptable term used to describe the person who seriously pursues the hobby or sport of birding. May be professional or amateur.

Birding. A sport and/or hobby in which individuals enjoy the challenge of bird study, listing, or other general activities involving bird life.

Bird-watcher. A rather ambiguous term used to describe the person who watches birds for any reason at all, and should not be used to refer to the serious birder.

—Birding, Volume 1, No.2

Twitching is a British term used to mean "the pursuit of a previously located rare bird." In North America it is more often called "chasing", though the British usage is starting to catch on there, especially among younger birders. The term twitcher, sometimes misapplied as a synonym for birder, is reserved for those who travel long distances to see a rare bird that would then be ticked, or counted on a list.^[2]^[5]

The term originated in the 1950s, when it was used for the nervous behaviour of Howard Medhurst, a British birdwatcher. Prior terms for those who chased rarities were pot-hunter, tally-hunter, or tick-hunter. The main goal of twitching is often to accumulate species on one's lists. Some birders engage in competition to accumulate the longest species list. The act of the pursuit itself is referred to as a twitch or a chase. A rare bird that stays put long enough for people to see it is twitchable or chaseable.^[2]^[5]

Twitching is highly developed in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Finland and Sweden. The size of these countries makes it possible to travel throughout them quickly and with relative ease. The most popular twitches in the UK have drawn large crowds; for example, a group of approximately 2,500 people travelled to Kent, England, to view a Golden-winged Warbler.^[6] Twitchers have developed their own vocabulary. For example, a twitcher who fails to see a rare bird has dipped out; if other twitchers do see the bird, he may feel gripped off. Suppression is the act of concealing news of a rare bird from other twitchers.^[2]

Many birdwatchers maintain a life list, that is, a list of all of the species they have seen in their life, usually with details about the sighting such as date and location. The American Birding Association has specific rules about how a bird species may be documented and recorded in such a list if it is submitted to the ABA, however, the criteria for the personal recording of these lists are very subjective. Some birdwatchers “count” species they have identified audibly, while others only record species they’ve identified visually. Some also maintain a country-list, state-list, county list, yard-list, year list, or any combination of these.

Growth and economics

In the 20th century most of the birding activity in North America was done on the east coast. The publication of Roger Tory Peterson's field guide in 1934 led to the initial increase in birding. Binoculars became more easily available after World War II, which made this easier. The practice of travelling long distances to see rare bird species was aided by the rising popularity of cars.^[22]

About 4% of North Americans were interested in birding in the 1970s and in the mid-1980s at least 11% were found to watch birds at least 20 days of the year. An estimate of 61 million birders was made in the late 1980s. The income level of birders has been found to be well above average.^[23]

The 2000 publication of "The Sibley Guide to Birds" sold 500,000 copies by 2002.^[24] but it was found that the number of birdwatchers rose but there appeared to be a drop in birdwatching in the backyard.^[25]

According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study, birdwatchers contributed with 36 billion USD to the US economy 2006, and one fifth (20%) of all Americans are identified as birdwatchers.^[26]

North American birders were estimated to have spent as much as USD 32 billion in 2001.^[25] The spending is on the rise around the world. Kuşcenneti National Park (KNP) at Lake Manyas, a Ramsar site in Turkey was estimated to attract birders who spent as much as 103,320,074 USD annually.^[27] Guided bird tours have become a major business with at least 127 companies offering tours worldwide. An average trip to a less-developed country costs $4000 per person and includes about 12 participants for each of 150 trips a year. It has been suggested that this economic potential needs to be tapped for conservation.^[28]

Environmental education[edit]

Moroccan students watching birds at Nador's lagoon as a part of environmental educationactivities organized by the Spanish Ornithological Society

Due to their accessibility and ubiquity, birds are a useful tool for environmental education and awareness on environmental issues. Birds easily transmit values on respect to nature and the fragility of ecosystems.

Competition[edit]

Birdwatchers watching Britain's fifth-everWhite-tailed Lapwing at Caerlaverock, Scotland, 6 June 2007.

Birding as a competitive event is organized in some parts of the world. These are found to be more exciting by some.^[33] These competitions encourage individuals or teams to accumulate large numbers of species within a specified time or area with special rules. Some birdwatchers will also compete by attempting to increase their life list, national list, state list, provincial list, county list, or year list. There have however been criticisms of such events especially when they are claimed to aid conservation when they may actually mask serious environmental issues.^[34]The American Birding Association was originally started as a club for "listers", but it now serves a much broader audience. Still, the ABA continues to publish an official annual report of North American list standings.

Competitive birdwatching events include:

Big Day: teams have 24 hours to identify as many species as possible.
Big Year: like a big day, but contestants are individuals, and need to be prepared to invest a great deal of time and money.
Big Sit or Big Stay: birdwatchers must see birds from a circle of prescribed diameter (e.g.: 17-foot^[35]). Once birds are spotted, birdwatchers can leave the circle to confirm the identity, but new birds seen may not be counted.

Networking and organization[edit]

Prominent national and continental organizations concerned with birding include the British Trust for Ornithology and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the United Kingdom, and the American Birding Association and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in North America. Many state-wide or local Audubon organizations are also quite active in the United States, as are many provincial and local organizations in Canada. BirdLife International is an important global alliance of bird conservation organizations. Many countries and smaller regions (states/provinces) have "rarities committees" to check, accept or reject reports of rare birds made by birders.

(Remembering Spring)

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117645114459863049265/albums/5876876039703150705

Look how fat he got this summer!

*New Feature*

Click on below link to view the photostudy for 9 8 13 in my G+Photo Albums!(slideshow option)

Link to September 8, 2013 photostudy:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117645114459863049265/albums/5926474036865423553?partnerid=gplp0