Bird Study
Bird study begins with learning to recognize birds by sight and by song. This can be a fascinating, demanding hobby if a person sticks to it. Once bird identification is mastered, learning bird habits and habitats becomes more interesting.
Beginning bird students should possess a good field guide and have access to other books on various phases of bird life. Several books are listed at the end of this booklet. Serious bird students should use a good pair of binoculars. Taking bird study trips with an experienced birder is the easy way to learn to know birds, especially the more difficult ones. Bird check lists are lists of birds common to an area and are convenient to use. Keeping a notebook of bird observations also is a valuable habit.
Bird students soon learn that birds are specific in their habitat requirements. A list of birds from a wooded area will differ greatly from a list of those observed in a marsh or in open farmland. Therefore, when taking bird study trips, visit as many different types of habitat as possible.
Life history -- the daily, seasonal and yearly activities of birds -- is another fascinating study, one that can contribute useful and valuable information to the store of bird knowledge.
The ecology of birds, their relationship to their environment, holds a great future for bird students, for if bird ecology is understood, our knowledge of all life and relationships to other forms of life will be more meaningful. This is the final rewarding step in bird study -- observing and understanding birds and their relationship to their environment. Competence gained in this field gives the bird student the most complete pleasure of all.
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American Tree Sparrow
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