Birdwatching Anyday

Now here is an activity you can do all the year round: the most popular form of wildlife study, ornithology, the study of birds, or plainly BIRDWATCHING.

Expect to see birds everywhere throughout the year, but some appear in winter while others move away. They vary in size from the Sarus Crane, standing about the height of a man, to our smallest birds the flower peckers, e.g. Tickell’s Flowerpecker as large as a normal thumb.

There are well over 2000 species and sub-species recorded in India of which over 300 are winter visitors.

Our commonest and most abundant birds are the House Crow and the Sparrow followed by the Mynas and Bulbuls, and our rarest would include the Mountain Quail and the Pink-headed Duck and, now, to all appearances considered extinct.

You can go Birdwatching anywhere. Look out of the window or into the garden and you are likely to see a bird. That bold intruder, the House Sparrow, may even try to help itself to crumbs from the dinning table, or even build a nest in your living room.

Before we go further into the business of birdwatching it wouldn’t be a bad idea to consider the Boy Scout motto ‘Be Prepared’. Serious birdwatching calls for preparation. So let’s get started. What equipment do you need?

NOTEBOOKS I recommend the spiral type of note book in a handy size of about 11x18 cm. The spiral binding allows the covers to be turned right around and thus you have the effect of a hard bound book – and the pages should be ruled. Use a broad rubber band to hold your pages down when there is a wind and to grip your pen when not in use. Some people prefer a pencil as there is no fear of running out of ink and a broken point could be sharpened.

A WRIST WATCH A useful item for the birdwatcher is a wrist watch with a second hand. Better still would be a stop watch but an accurate watch will do.

CLOTHES. Camouflage is the word. Birdwatchers have learned a lot from birds and how to hide or camouflage themselves. Birds do not trust people and you must try not to be seen while watching them. Jackets could be green or khaki. Combat jackets are a good choice because of their colour patterns of shades of green and brown. Fabrics that ‘rustle’ should be shunned as the slightest sound could alert the birds – and birds have excellent hearing.

Do everything that helps to break the outline of the head and shoulders especially against a skyline. Get a jacket with plenty of pockets to carry your note book, and other equipment. Remember you may even be collecting interesting objects that you could discover on the trip.

CAMERA snapshots and slides will help keep alive the memory of the adventure long after it’s over. More serious birdwatching calls for bird and wildlife photography.

BINOCULARS. Extend your range of vision with binoculars. Small pairs are especially good for outdoor activities. A pair of 7x35 binoculars will have magnification and light gathering properties suitable for most birdwatching needs. If you get serious about birdwatching, then sooner or later, and it will probably be sooner, you will want a pair of binocs. Remember however, you can watch without them. In fact it is a good habit to do so as you will soon get accustomed to recognizing species at a natural distance by shape, size or behaviour.

But binocs do much more.

Today there is a bewildering range of binocular in the market and choosing a pair for you can be very difficult. The first hurdle in making the final choice is cost. Good quality binocs are very expensive but cheap ones can be found and are quite good for birdwatching. Test several models before buying. Binoculars are classified by a simple code, usually two numbers separated by an ‘x’, e.g. 7 x 35. The first figure is the number of times that the binoculars multiply the image of the object you are looking at; that is the magnification. The second figure is the diameter in millimeters of the objective (front) lens. This is quite as important as the magnification because it affects the light gathering properties of the binoculars. Now divide the objective lens diameter by the magnification and you will get the exit pupil diameter which indicates the light gathering power. This factor is extremely important when birdwatching in dark woodland, at sunset, or other poor light conditions like bad weather. The higher the exit pupil diameter the less chance you will have of straining your eyes at birdwatching.

The exit pupil diameter of a 7x35 binocular is 5, and anything below 5 is not really adequate for birdwatching.

Consider the following exit pupil diameters of some common binoculars.

9 x 45 5 6 x 30 5 11 x 60 5.4

10 x 50 5 7 x 50 7 12 x 60 5

8 x 30 3.75 9 x 35 2.9 8 x 40 5

From the above figures, you will find which binocs have the best light gathering powers. Do not sacrifice good light gathering properties for magnification.

Finally, go in for a light pair of glasses as the heavy ones, though more attractive, will prove to be a nuisance on a long outing.

So let’s go birdwatching!