Where or how do you go birding?..........

Do you do most of it at home or do you get out and go places? Have you found other places that work better than others? Are there things you like to have in your birding spot? This is what I enjoy when I'm not birding at home. I'll go to the lake and look for places like this that have been logged out and have a quite a few "laps" or "blowdowns" for lack of a better word. The lake is just over the hill so I try to have water nearby. I've had decent luck with this kind of spot. It seems when I go out and just walk through the woods, I rarely see any birds no matter how long I sit still and wait. I'm curious to see what people like and if they have any success in certain kinds of spots?

Being an "above-the knee" amputee, most on my birding is done at home.

But I have property about 35 mi north of Columbus. On the property is a lake. I have been planning to spend a day up there on my 4-wheeler to see what I can see.

Hack

I do most of mine at home or in the general area where I live which is a 2,000+ acre lake community. I have not had much luck going to other places as I find having other people around annoying & distracting! LOL

There are so many variables that determine one's preferred style of birding, i.e. time, health, lifestyle, etc. What works for you is all that really matters. I prefer photographing birds and other wildlife in their natural habitat. I spend little time photographing birds around my house. In general, my preferences are anyplace that there is water, wetlands and mostly secluded. If I want to photograph bluebirds, I go to one place. If I want to photograph orioles, I go to another. My objective is to photograph as many different species in my State as I can. Thus, I have to cover a lot of different types of habitat. However, I do limit my access to certain areas primarily because of deer ticks.

I do a lot of research and try to stay on top of where other birders are seeing certain species. Ebird (website) is the best. For the most part, I prefer traveling alone only because I like to move at my own pace. Although, four eyes are always better than two. Since lighting is important with photography, I choose locations that are conducive to proper lighting.

So true!! And as I was silly enough to do last year I did ID 100 birds in the area where I live. Mostly just by walking the half mile circle or just stepping out my door, and going no futher than the lake. But I live in a place surrounded by natural habitat. Amazing things can be found anywhere!

I found this yesterday evening on a walk!

Mostly in my backyard or in fields and pastures along the road as I go to work...occasionally I get to take a trip to a local lake or river. I do alot of hiking through the woods when the snakes are hibernating and this is my favorite type of bird outing.

I'm not real sure where sanford is in North Carolina, but when I lived in Pender county, or Burgaw, I don't remember seeing a whole lot of birds in thickly woods areas. I always seen them in high grass, or in a clearing among the trees. I remember there was A LOT of pine trees and the forest ground was covered with nothing but pine needles. If you know where the Burgaw court house is, there are huge magnolia trees around it and there was always beautiful birds there. I lived at 2264 New Savannah Road... don't remember the zip code. There was an old path on the other side of the street in front of the house that led to an old, old grave site, but there was a stream or creek down there and it was secluded. I remember hearing owls but couldn't ever find them. Very big area back there to explore. Usually if you have a bird feeder, bird bath.. etc. things that will attrack a bird, or that birds like, they will find it. Do you live in the city? I think it's called Swansboro Lake?? I remember being there seeing a whole lot of different birds. Maybe it was Sutton Lake.... it's been several years ago, I don't remember it right off the top of my head. I know Wilmington, on the beach, has a variety of beach birds. I think Raleigh has a birding spot.

I like doing both my area (backyard and parks etc.) and going down to different areas at the shore has really helped bulk up my life list along with learning a lot and meeting great people.

I like to get out and go to different spots. Plus I did not buy my equipment to just shoot in the backyard. For me part of the thrill is getting the difficult shots in stealth mode. I do some birding in the backyard when I can't get out but I see the same birds and that gets boring...so I need to get out. I've created a list of birding sites that I plan to visit. I generated the list by 1) suggestion from other birders, 2) by viewing folks photog sites (i.e. zenfolio, pbase, smug mug etc.) and noting the places they've capture the bird photos (one person that lived in VA had his site setup by sites visited in the area as well in other nearby states that showed the capture species by location), 3) researching the parks and planning sites in my state and nearby states, 4) asking for sites on the various forums I frequent including this one (example: I was visiting Houston, TX and Long Beach so I just ask on the threads and got sites to visit) and 5) Google. Like you, just walking in the woods generally don't yield much. I have a couple of local spots that I frequent mostly when I can't get to other far away places. Two places I will definitely visit this fall is Cape May and Conowingo Dam (for Raptors). Also, I try and visit locations that me and the family can enjoy (i.e. the weekend getaways). But the bottom line is I like to get out to different locations and capture photographs of birds I have never seen otherwise I get bored. Oh and a large can of OFF (original formula) is part of my gear.

You might be amazed at what you'll see Hack. If I had a four wheeler I'd be using it as well!

I think you nailed it linthicum as far as so many variables. Every person is different and has different agendas. I also prefer to go alone, not to mention I don't know anyone that likes tramping through briars, water, etc to take a pic of a bird. I need to spend more time on research because I know it can only help me.

A 100 in a year is a LOT of birds nanny! I'd love to do that many. I love the pic of the deer, very cool!

I love getting out in nature as well CBL51. It doesn't matter if it's a field, woods, pasture, the side of a highway, etc as long as I can get out and enjoy the fresh air and have fun. To be honest I haven't even thought about snakes. I guess I should. *sigh*

Sanford is just about in the center of the state Teresa. I'm probably two and a half hours southwest of Burgaw give or take? I see the signs for Burgaw when I go down 40 east to Wilmington. That site you described across the street from your old house sounds interesting. I wonder if it's still available to explore? Thankfully I don't live in the city. I live in Sanford, but work in Raleigh so I need to check out Raleigh some more. I have heard of a Sutton Lake. Seems like it's near a power plant? I'll have to research it.

I really need to check out Cape May Pelle. I've heard so much about it. Is there a better time to get there like early morning versus late afternoon? Early morning on a race weekend is NOT a good thing! LOL ;) I enjoy meeting new people as well, that's one reason I enjoy the internet so much. Especially if I'm lucky enough to meet them in person.

The thrill of the chase is something I love as well Methodical! The chance to capture a shot of a new bird gets my heart racing. The bird in the picture I saw out of the corner of my eye. I caught a flash of yellow. I stalked that bird for 45 minutes before I got this pic. It's not good enough for me to ID it, but it's one I know I don't have and it's a start. Enough to where I can't wait to go back and try for better shots. I've never thought about the info people put on their photo sites. I guess because I don't do it? I'll start paying attention to that. Good idea about asking for sites when I'll be in an area. I know I'll be in Delaware in September which makes me want to hit Cape May. I'll be in Alabama in November so I need to be thinking about that as well. I don't think I can ever have a big enough can of OFF! LOL Great ideas everyone, it gives me ideas for places to be looking. :)

Sutton Lake is near a power plant! Down around in that area I remember seeing a lot of different birds, and at the beach.

Hi Jay, Early morning and early evening are always best. The early morning is my favorite, but the evening is nice too because you can stay and watch the beautiful sunset.

I have to tell you that my Life List was at 79 or 80 before going down the shore on the guided Bird Walk in Cape May in May again in July and again the other day.

My Life List is now 140 birds!!! I'm very happy with this and will continue to go down there to different places especially if there are guided tours. After that I'll also go by myself or with a friend.

I know I need to go out of the yard to get new birds, but i find it terribly frustrating because they always are hiding in trees or beyond my lens reach. I can hear tons of birds I can't ID by call and I'm sure that they would be new to the life list but I can never find them. Grrr.

I love the two weeks in the spring where I have so many new birds in the yard. It's a short time, but it's special to have them up close.

Mrs-Ed, I've taken pictures of birds, I know for sure, they are new to me, but the picture is not clear enough for ID. I have quite a few of them too. double Grrr

Most of my bird watching is from my yard, but will take a ride out in the country to find some different kind. I've found American Kestrel, hawks and eagles and Osprey, this way. But I also go near marshes and rivers and pond, and a lake around the area.
For shore birds, I visit my sister in Prince Edward Island. She brings me to areas, where I can find many shore birds without having to walk far. I'm limited as well physically, so I can't go inland to much. I go where I can just step out of the vehicle and take pictures. I don't get as many birds as others, but satisfy myself with other wildlife I meet up with, along the way.

I have quite a few different refuge's where I live so most my birding is in the field. The yard is good for practicing with my camera but every now and then I get the odd visitor.

Since I also photograph insects, reptiles, mammals and wildflowers besides birds; I find marshes, rivers and the surrounding lands the most productive areas. Just three blocks away are deer, hogs, turkey, coyote, fox, armadillo and lots of birds. The closest lake marsh is four miles away. The river is two miles away. The larger marshes are between 20 and 40 miles away. Only snakes seem hard to find. The only problem with getting photos in marshes is when the guy in the back of the boat leans over to see what you are getting a pic of. It makes for a lot of bleared pics.

Frank,I would love to see those wildlife pic, Your welcome to post them on my thread on the wildlife forum. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1010317/

Do you think there is something to the idea that birds are attracted to areas already occupied by other birds? It is astonishing to me how many birds we have in the two acres at the back of our property around our house as compared to the other acres in the front. Walking toward home is leaving silent woods into bird-o-rama. I too have been disappointed when I travel to state parks and other vacation areas supposedly known as good birding spots only to see absolutely nothing. I've about given up birding out when the pickings are so good at home.

I'm sure that you have heard the saying, "Birds of a feather, flock together." Humans sort of do the same thing.

It's quite common for birds to flock together probably for several reasons. They find an ideal habitat just like they find your backyard feeder. Ornithologists explain the behavior as a 'safety in numbers' tactic to help them avoid predators.

Seasonal variations in number of birds also comes into play. Right now, I see very few birds or hear very few. It's the lull after the breeding season. However, in some places migratory birds are beginning to move so you never know when or where you might expect a new flock of birds. Warblers, in particular, tend to flock together. I'll be waiting.

But, I agree, if you have plenty of wildlife near your home, no need to venture elsewhere.

It makes a strange kind of sense. We have so many birds because we have so many birds.

Warblers are my favorite. I live for migration.

Thought I'd throw in a couple more places where I've had good luck birding. Walking the shoreline of a lake when the water is down usually gets good results......

Another place I enjoy are abandoned roads. This one went about two miles before it went underwater in the lake. I've have good luck on these.............

I prefer to see/photograph birds in their natural environment, so most birding is done at parks, refuges, water bodies, etc. I still intently watch the birds around the house, but rarely photograph them anymore. Although, I did find a new target in the neighborhood last night. I live near a school and the band was out practicing on the baseball field. It was after dark and I noticed birds eating insects around the large field lights. I went to investigate and found at least 6 nighthawks taking advantage of the situation. Now I need to figure out a stratedgy to photograph them. In certain areas, the lights illuminate them pretty well and they are on night sky background. This is fairly typical of my bird photography, I see birds in an area and them come back with a plan to photograph them when the lighting and everything is favorable.

Wow Chris that is really a good sighting!

oooo, good tip!

Nice thread 24, and great comments every one.
I live on a farm, sometimes I get lucky and am able to take photos of the birds who live here as well as the odd visitor.
I also vacation at the beach, so I take lots of photos of the gulls and am hoping to get a good one of a brown pelican, in a few weeks. Scouting the territory is always a good idea. There were so many great tips given I can't think of anything to add except my Dad (trois), always liked taking his photos in the morning because it wasn't as hot as it would be later on. A lot of his photos that he took at home were on a set up where he had a camera on a tripod and would take the photos while the birds were at the feeders, remotely. Those he could take at any time. He almost always took the camera with him if he was going out of the house, and he loved his photo safari's even if they were off the side of the road in a field.
You can look him up here at DG, he was a member and left many wonderful photos here. He sort of bequeathed me to DG. LOL!
So nice to see many of his friends on this thread. : - )
I find the wetlands to be the best places to take photos of birds, even at home I have dogs who chase the birds away (except the crows!), and I too like their natural settings much more than at the feeder. Not that I'm above taking their photo at the feeder. At the beach there are annoying small people who like to chase away the bird you just got focused in on.
I too like to sneak up on them. Hard to do with the wild ones, but well worth the effort. Just go out and have some fun with it!
I guess I should be working on my life list. I wonder how many I could cross off, just walking the farm. Do tell me more nanny and pelle. I'd value your advice. : - )
Can't wait to find the time to check out your wildlife thread burn.
It's way late, and I have a full day tomorrow.
WIB!
SW