Page 30 - World of Animals - Issue #33

A BEGINNER’S

GUIDE TO

BIRDWATCHING

From spotting garden visitors to identifying tricky
species in far-flung locations, this guide will tell you all

you need to know to get the best out of birdwatching

Words Dominic Couzens

Birdwatching is easy and rewarding because you can between. At the very least it can get you out into the wild,
hardly avoid birds. Few other living creatures are so easy into the fresh air. It is healthy for you and, as a hobby, it is
to see casually, in both number and variety, all over the one of the cheapest.
world. They cross paths with us in a way many other Birds are also quite easy to recognise and identify,
animals don’t and, although they are shy, few of them are especially compared to insects and plants. Everybody
secretive. They are also often noisy, active in the daytime can recognise a swan or a gull, a magpie or a robin.
and colourful – a bit like us! Most people can also tell the hoot of an owl, or the caw
It is only natural to take notice of birds, and this of a crow. The sheer variety of birds means that even
is the essence of birdwatching. You can take it easy, the beginner will always have plenty to see. A suburban
glancing out of your garden window, or you can become garden in the UK will usually host about 25 species and a
keener and travel long distances to see special birds in local park about 40. A trip to the country will add more
adventurous surroundings. You can do everything in and to the coast more still. Let the fun begin.

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