Bird watching!

[Susi]

Does anyone here like bird watching? <3 I think it's really fun, I've loved doing it since I was a child. What kind of strategies do you employ? Do you write every bird down in a special notebook? Let's talk about birds :D

My favourite is the (British) robin [subspecies of the European robin, Erithacus rubecula (melophilus)] because it is like a ball of cuteness and it's always on the Christmas cards my nan sends:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cRw9_SMr3sM/SdD0W9iRhpI/AAAAAAAAC4U/3UVs33NZBx8/s400/British+Robin.jpg


Of course, I never see it in Canada. My other favourite is the sparrow, and in general the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) because it is adorable and cute and round like the British robin. I like how there's so many subspecies and that they can vary so greatly in North America (where they were introduced but not actually native)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Passer_domesticus_-left_nest_the_day_before_-Scotland-8.jpg/647px-Passer_domesticus_-left_nest_the_day_before_-Scotland-8.jpg

Cute baby one in Scotland <3

http://buildyourownbirdhouseplans.com/images/2008HouseSparrow.jpg

Male and female.

I think that liking common birds is good because you never are disappointed when you go out to look for birds. I often go to the big parks or valleys hiking or just to the park down the street and there's so many birds <3

Anyways! let's talk about bird watching and favourite birds!

[Äike]

I'm not very interested in birdwatching, but I have heard that people all over Europe come to Estonia for birdwatching.


Estonia is on the migration path for millions of passerines flying through central Estonia as well as over 50 million waterfowl and shorebirds flying along the north-western coast. More than 330 species have been identified in Estonia, of which more than 220 are breeding birds. In 1999, Estonia held the European record for the highest number of species seen in a day - an incredible 189.


Matsalu National Park (previously Matsalu Nature Reserve, Estonian: Matsalu rahvuspark, often just Matsalu) is a nature reserve and national park situated in Lääne County, Estonia. Matsalu National Park spans an area of 486.1 km2 (187.7 sq mi), comprising Matsalu Bay, the Kasari River delta, and surrounding areas.
Matsalu Bay (Estonian: Matsalu laht) is one of the most important wetland bird areas in Europe, due to its prime position on the East Atlantic Flyway. Large numbers of migratory birds use Matsalu as a staging area.[1] Every spring over two million waterfowl pass Matsalu, of which around 1.6 million are Long-tailed Ducks.[2][3]
Matsalu National Park is a home for a number of endangered species, many of which are listed in the Estonian IUCN Red List, including the White-tailed Eagle of the highest conservation category, a lot of bird species of the second and third protection categories, 22 strongly protected plant species, the Natterjack Toad, and ten species of mammals of the second conservation category.[4]

[Susi]

I'm not very interested in birdwatching, but I have heard that people all over Europe come to Estonia for birdwatching.

Yes, I've heard Estonia is a good place to go birdwatching. I was going to visit once for an unrelated reason (it fell through) but wanted very much to visit that park.

Iceland was good for birdwatching. There's many interesting varieties there.

[Treffie]

I used to be a volunteer at a National Wetlands Centre and it was a magnet for all kinds of weird and wonderful birds. It was also a breeding centre.

Eurasian Spoonbills
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_uGex5xR3W_g/Rqztmhm6zII/AAAAAAAAA2Q/McUPQbJuApY/pic00288_edited.jpg

Flamingoes
http://www.sirgaerfyrddin.gov.uk/MediaLibrary/FlamingoWeb.jpg

Little Egrets
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/walesnature/little_egret.jpg

On 15 February 1996, a tanker ran aground off the South Wales coast, and as volunteers, we were required to go and clean up as many birds (and seals) as possible for release, but 50% of the birds that we caught, died of suffocation, starvation or poisoning.

http://www.oilspillsolutions.org/Sea%20Empress%207s.jpg

[Lulletje Rozewater]

I do the watching at my place.
10 years ago I saw about 10 species of birds,now I have seen 125.
My place is at present a jungle and the birds love it,add to that the fast amount of bird food and water and it has become a haven.

[Allenson]

I don't go bird watching in the proper sense...but living deep in the countryside as I do, I'm surrounded by many different species of birds.

One of my favourites is the wood thrush--mostly because of it's lovely song:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_thrush/sounds

http://www.roaneviews.com/files/images/wood-thrushwtmk.jpg

My parents live on a lake about 20 miles south of me and I always enjoy seeing and hearing the wonderful loons that they have there:

http://www.briansmallphoto.com/photo/colo.jpg

[Psychonaut]

One of my favorite thing to do when I was in California was to sit outside and watch the condors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Condor) circle overhead. The few times I was lucky enough to get a close up view, it was spectacular:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Gymnogyps_californianus_-San_Diego_Zoo-8a.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/California-Condor3-Szmurlo_edit.jpg