[TN-Bird] Beginners and Out-of-State Trips
- From: kbreault <kbreault@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:58:23 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Beginners and Out-of-State Trips
TN Birders:
A couple of you have asked if my Total Ticks trips would be useful to beginning
birders, and so I thought I would respond more generally to the group.
Almost all of the places I go are ones that have something for birders at every
level of experience. That is because these are places where you can identify
the most birds in the smallest amount of time. Now, it is true that if you are
dependent on seeing birds, as opposed to identifying birds by ear, there are
some places that are better than others: mainly those in which it is easier to
see perching birds, e.g., parks and similar areas with open places and large
trails/roads in which you can look easily into trees or down on them. Radnor
Lake State Park in Nashville is a good example.
If you are a beginner interested in out-of-state trips in the ABA Area
(generally, everything north of Mexico in North America), you are welcome to
contact me and I can provide more focused information than what I usually
include in my trip reports. For about a half dozen or so states and provinces I
will not be able to help as I have either not gone there (let’s see: AK, and
the Canadian provinces of YT, NT & NU), or I have little experience/information
(BC). Several other TN birders go overseas on trips and I am sure they would be
helpful in that kind of birding. If you have been reading TN Birds, Dollyann
Myers, Ron Hoff, Terry Witt, and several others are all high ranking birders on
ABAs “World” list.
First, initial trips beyond your home state should be to places where the
location of birds is generally well known, and where you can interact with
other birders, e.g., southeastern AZ and extreme southern TX (on the coast and
along the Rio Grande), or FL (Everglades, Florida Keys, and see the recent
photos from Mike Todd’s tour to the Dry Tortugas). For various reasons, I think
the very best place is southeastern AZ. If you can go with a few other birders
who are somewhat more experienced or a dedicated mentor you will do better.
Avoid large groups or experts who are not primarily interested in your progress
as a birder. Good mentors are experienced teachers/guides who put your progress
over their own interest in identifying birds. There may be several reasons
while beginners don’t progress, but the behavior of some more experienced
birders may be one factor. I see fewer birders like this these days but beware
of the birder who’s only interest in
life is his list (some life lists are literally that, i.e., life’s list).
If you have had some experience and are interested in going to many places or
doing total ticking my recommendation is that you should initially employ a
local guide. Depending on the area I may be able to help you find a good guide,
but of course you should be aware that there are both good and bad guides.
(Unfortunately, I generally don’t have the time for this kind of work.) On
average you will learn much more with a guide than by yourself. I should also
say that experts routinely benefit from guides and I have been quick to get a
guide depending on the circumstances.
But if you don’t use a guide, and they can be $100-150 per day, birding beyond
the nationally known places is considerably more difficult. Not that the birds
are any more difficult to identify but where to bird can be an issue. I would
say that something in the vicinity of 50% of birding is in the preparation
before the trip. (I know birders, even total tickers, who hate this kind of
thing, but effective preparation will make your trips significantly more
successful.) When I get to a new area I know what birds to look for, exactly
where to go, how long to be there, what I should be wearing (and I am not
talking about color which is generally irrelevant), and what
equipment/materials I should have with me. All of this takes time, and while I
work full-time on my “day” job, it generally takes me about four to six weeks,
sometimes even more, to put together a large trip to a new state/region.
This is what I do for a typical Total Ticks trip in which I am not using a
guide. Once I know where to go in a general way I construct (or obtain) a bird
list for the state/region. I then come up with a list of places to bird where
previous birders have been successful (e.g., various bird-finding guides, Big
Day and other trip reports, personal communication). Then I annotate the bird
list by adding the birding places, and subtract from the bird list all of the
rare birds, with the exception of those that are best seen in the area to which
I am going, or if there is specific and credible information about where to
find them (note that some bird-finding guides will include rare birds not
indicated as such that you are not likely to see). In general, spending
precious time looking for rare birds is a fool’s errand, a significant total
ticking error. Now, there are hot spots for rare birds in many states but these
are generally not useful on your first
trip to a new area if you have limited time. Let rare birds come to you. So
what you end up with is a list of abundant, common and uncommon birds annotated
by birding locations (note that some uncommon birds are rare and vice versa
depending on the time of the month/season, but with effort this can be sorted
out). Now, you also do not need to worry about the abundant birds as they will
come to you too (rather more frequently), although not finding one with only a
small amount of time left on your trip can be frustrating. (I was once with an
experienced guide and we ended up spending far more time looking for several
very common birds than almost all the uncommon birds on our target list.) With
each of the common and uncommon birds you will want to make sure you have
multiple places (three-four is usually enough), where you can find them (this
is quite critical, and what some good birders don’t fully appreciate until it
is too late). This may require
adding other birding spots to make sure you have enough options. If you are
learning bird vocalizations focus on the list of common and uncommon birds in
connection with the habitats in which they are likely to be found. If you are
not learning vocalizations you should begin.
The next step is to schedule your visits to the birding places following
several rules of thumb, e.g., make sure you spend time in the mornings in each
habitat, bird also in the evenings and after it gets dark (and bird early in
the morning before it is light), don’t spend too much time in any habitat, but
generally spend more time in the fewest habitats you will visit, spend the
least amount of time traveling from place to place, but don’t hesitate to
travel for new and potentially productive habitats. On my recent “mountain”
trip much of the birding in Grand Teton National Park was on trails, but you
are not going to be effective if you hike for many miles in the same habitat.
Hiking is not birding. If you can’t find a bird in an area in which it should
be, you should leave and try elsewhere, on a different day, or at a different
time (in that order). Once on the trip itself, review your list/s and know what
to expect everywhere you go, stop
and listen for an extended amount of time when habitats change and near water,
thoroughly bird when several or more birds are vocalizing in the same area (you
may even see an owl that way), and make notes with regard to the habitats in
which you find birds (quite useful for subsequent trips), and always be
flexible: let your list drive the birding. At the end of the trip you don’t
want to say: if I had only gone there, or gone there in the morning, or gone
there again, etc. Preparation makes you sleep better once you are home.
And, please, if you are inexperienced take precautions (the same ones
ordinarily used by experienced birders). For example, if you are in a remote
area and hear a bird you cannot identify, don’t leave the trail (to a distance
where you can no longer see the trail). The issue here is not animals but
getting lost. Losing your way, not having appropriate clothing or enough water,
and a sudden change in the weather, are all causes of serious hiking injuries
every year, and at the very least are likely to cause you to lose birding time.
For clothing, rain gear, including pants, are the most important. In some areas
bring bug clothing just in case, including a fine net for your face (places in
AZ, NM & TX re bees come to mind). A hat covering your ears is similarly
important, if only for more long-term concerns (looking good won’t get you any
more birds, but feeling good, on the other hand, will keep you birding longer).
And be sure you have seen a weather
report/radar. In remote areas, and ones with known security issues (mammals of
various kinds), do Not bird alone, have a compass/GPS (and know how to use
them), and bring a phone if you have service in the area. Before every trip use
a travel list for everything you will need, including medications, sun screen,
small first-aid kit, chess programs (okay, that’s just for me). Instead of
leaving the trail for an unknown bird, take out your bird list for the area and
use a phone app to quietly (or with earbuds), help identify the bird (I think
iBird Pro is the best app but there are others). Even if it is during migration
you may be able to find the bird. If you are unfamiliar with iBird Pro it
includes pictures, photos, ranges, identification information, “interesting
facts,” and vocalizations for 938 North American birds, including Hawaiian
birds–a traditional bird guide but with vocalizations. (There is also quite a
bit of search functionality
but experienced birders will need more.) If you would prefer not to have the
exorbitant smart phone monthly fees you can use an iPod touch that will have
almost all of the capabilities of a smart phone (including the iBird Pro app),
and you will be able to make calls with the free apps, Skype and FaceTime. But
rarely use recordings to attract birds and never in the nesting season (and
follow ABAs ethical requirements and any local rules on the use of recordings).
For more information see me webpage at the university,
http://www.mtsu.edu/~kbreault and go to “Competitive Birding” and “How to be a
Total Ticker”.
Good luck and let me know if I can help.
Kevin Breault
Brentwood, TN
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