The Sussex Bird Club

1. Go birding with groups led by an experienced birder - he will know what species to expect - heʼll know the key field marks and help you hone in on them - heʼll know the bird songs and help you learn them - and heʼll have a spotting scope

 

2. Buy the best optics you can comfortably afford - many good brands: Nikon, Swarovski, Swift, Leica, Zeiss - avoid compact, zoom and high power binoculars - magnification 7 to 10x, objective lens 30 to 50 mm - mid range and my choice is 8.5x42 - try binoculars first, especially if you wear glasses - when it comes time to purchase a spotting scope, youʼll know

 

3. Purchase at least one good field guide - Sibley, Kaufman, National Geographic, Peterson - better yet, with 2 different field guides, you can cross check what they say - some come with an Eastern edition which narrows options

 

4. Learn the common resident birds “like the back of your hand” - when new species arrive during migration, youʼll know you have somebody new - learn the songs of the most common birds

 

5. Use and trust published literature, such as - range maps, birds do get out of their normal ranges, BUT this is rare - check-list abundance is quite useful and accurate - if the check list says your ID is a rare species, you may wish to recheck your ID

 

6. Bird year round - 85% of DE birds are migrants, which means only 15% do NOT migrate - when possible spend extra time birding during migration, which is: - spring: April-May, with peak the first 2 weeks in May - fall: Sept-October-November, with peak the last 2 weeks of Sept

 

7. Learn habitat preferences of the birds you seek - most warblers donʼt hang out on the beaches - most shorebirds donʼt hang out in the woods - “waders” do like to wade in shallow water impoundments

 

8. If you can, provide food, water, plantings and bird houses for birds in your yard - observing birds in your yard helps hone expertise - it can also provide a great deal of pleasure - and it can help the birds as well

 

9. Use the Internet as a resource - SussexBirdClub.com - go to SBC Links page for lots of additional information on the internet - consider DE-Birds to be notified of rare and noteworthy bird sightings - Google a birdʼs name, or Google-Image a birdʼs picture - also use Google maps to get details on a possible birding location.    

 

10. Visit the top nearby birding locations as often as you can - Prime Hook NWR - Cape Henlopen State Park - Mispillion, DuPont Nature Center (especially May) - Trap Pond State Park - Bombay Hook NWR - Indian River Inlet (especially winter) - Cape May/Lewes Ferry

 

11. Travel and Bird - new habitat means new birds - definitely research where you plan to travel - there are many very nice lodges which cater to birders as well as the general public

 

12. Enjoy what you see! - yes, Cardinals are beautiful, as is the Scarlet Tanager - common birds sometimes do uncommon things - and toucans are really cool as well - enjoying the birds is why you go birding.