According to a survey from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 96 million Americans are bird-watchers, or 37 percent of the population aged 16 and above. Most observe from home, but 43 million have traveled a mile or more to go birding.
Amy Tan, author of the book “The Backyard Bird Chronicles,” knows why.
“Birds are some of the most magical animals on earth,” Ms. Tan said. “They fly, they sing crazy beautiful songs, they have amazing navigational systems that feel the magnetic force of the universe and guide themselves by the sun and the moon.”
Because birding can be done almost anywhere and requires little gear, it’s an easy activity to pick up and a practice suitable to many trips. Here’s how to get started.
Hone your powers of observation
Bird-watching requires observing not just a bird’s appearance but its behavior.
“Is it quick, slow, frenetic, soaring or staying in the underbrush?” said Nate Swick, the education and digital content coordinator for the nonprofit American Birding Association and the author of “The Beginner’s Guide to Birding.” “Those are clues as much as colors and patterns.”
Most experts suggest starting in your backyard or neighborhood park and learning the local resident birds to refine your birding skills before you take them on the road.
Download apps
In the digital age, apps have made birding easier than paging through field guides by offering step-by-step processes that narrow down a list of possible birds or identify a bird by its song.