Special to Times Colonist
Published: Saturday, March 11, 2006
republished with permission

Don’t Leave Home Without It

Birders need to know what they’re seeing. There are any number of good books to illustrate the difference between a sparrow and finch. However, the Bible for many Island birders remains Roger Peterson’s A Field Guide to Western Birds. A more localized guide is Richard Canning’s new Birds of Southwestern British Columbia.

Birder’s Best Friend

Binoculars are essential. Experienced birders might leave their guidebooks at home, but never their binoculars. Some even take them to the grocery store, just in case something interesting flies overhead. Borrow a pair if you don’t own one.

These Boots Are Made for Stalking

Invest in gum boots. They hold up better over years of slogging through marshlands and standing water than any high-tech hiking boots. Sneakers are fine for dry-land birding.

Birding Plumage

You’re best off dressing for the weather, but always in subdued tones. Leave that favourite red or Day-Glo jacket at home. Bright colours can startle birds and send them winging out of range.

Best Time to See the Birds

You’ve heard the expression "up with the birds." There’s a reason it means staggering out of bed at first light: that’s when birds are the most active. Don’t despair if you’re not a morning person. There are still birds to be seen and heard the rest of the day.

Best Place to Spot Birds

Anywhere in the Victoria region is good. Victoria still holds the record for the most species (154) seen during the annual Canada-wide Christmas bird count.

First-timers should stake out Esquimalt Lagoon for shore/sea birds and the Martindale Valley off the Pat Bay highway for land birds. Sea birds tend to stay still longer, making them easier to train your binoculars on than the usually flitting field birds.

Make Like Santa

Keep a list, but there are no naughty or nice categories in birding. Still, some bird sightings are more coveted than others, depending on your birding history. Pat yourself on the back when you spot your first owl, Anna’s hummingbird, Bullock’s oriole and red-breasted sapsucker.

Imagine You’re at the Library

Silence is golden when birding. You’ll see more if it’s quiet. Birding can be a social activity, but keep conversation to inside-voice levels.

Home Is Where The Hawk Is

Birding doesn’t always mean traipsing through the woods or slopping along the water’s edge. It can be done from the kitchen window or a backyard chair.

Sin Worthy of Birding Banishment

Don’t harass birds by charging through the underbrush disturbing them on their nests and leaving them vulnerable to predators.

Birding Lingo

Like that of any new hobby, birding lingo can be confusing to first-timers. Learn the following to avoid embarrassing moments in the field and stream:

A "lifer" has nothing to do with someone doing time at William Head. It refers to the first time a birder spots a particular bird.

"LBJ" is an acronym for "little brown jobs," a dismissive term for small, look-alike birds, not a past U.S. president from Texas.

"Pishing" is the dry whistling noise birders make to attract their feathered friends, rather than a lisping reference to a call of nature.


© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2006