What do we find so fascinating about bird watching? First of all it’s a great excuse to be outdoors. Searching for new species and old favorites requires you to pay attention. You use all of your senses and tend to see so much more. You need little in the way of equipment; decent binoculars and a good identification guide will suffice but some ‘twitchers’ (as they are called in Britain) spend thousands extra for spotting scopes, tripods, cameras and even professional guides.
Some birds are non-descript, the “LBJs” (little brown jobs) but many more are brightly colored. Others display interesting behavior or have wonderful songs. Similar species can be found continents apart. You have only to sit still in a forest clearing, along a lakeshore or overlooking a tidal marsh and wait to see what will show up.
Being close to nature cleanses the soul. Learning about what you see enriches the mind.
