MAIN Recreation Birding

Into birding?

Join the millions of people around North America who outnumber football and hockey fans combined.

If your a beginner, there are a few tips from the experts that may help you get up to speed on catching site of any one of 9 million bird species in the US alone.

First, you'll need a good pair of binoculars, with a proviso that it pays not to skimp when it comes to cost. Prices range anywhere from several hundred dollars and up for best quality, including top-of-the-line binocular cameras for instant 'trophy' images.

Among other top five birdwatching tips for beginners, the first one is, obviously, getting to where the birds are!

Around the Web, go on a topflight virtual tour with these major sites offering an extensive collection of info and pictures, bird song audio files and how-to's for birders worldwide, featuring the latest updates, local events and festivals...

More about bird watching around the Web:

National Audubon Society - The main U.S. site with colorful, comprehensive information and resources for the serious birder with news, feature articles, membership info. And don't miss an intriguing Birds & Science section guaranteed to make converts.

Bird Links to the World - Go crazy at this Canadian site that begins by featuring their personal list of best birding sites as well as the sites top ten most visited. The more than 16,000 links remaining (at last count) are categorized by country or searchable via a neat, interactive map.

Birding.com - The home page is something akin to a busy bird's nest, but keep to the right hand menu for a fair and fine presentation covering more than a dozen related topics, plus a directory to sites offering bird photos, audio files of songs, and clip art.

Fat Birder - The main U.K. site offering thousands of local, regional and international links and guides, and getting bigger by the day; along with mailing lists, reserves, places to stay, travel and trip reports, bird clubs and more.

Where do you want to go Birding Today? - Go birding without ever leaving home. Check out photo galleries from all corners of the globe, together with links to rare bird information and local events and festivals, along with information on tours/guides and accommodations.

Avibase - Check out this huge database of birds of the world, containing nearly 1 million records about 10,000 species and 22,000 subspecies of birds, including distribution information, taxonomy, synonyms and more.

Birdwatching Australia - Like it says - "a directory of Australian bird watching tours, bird clubs, freelance-guides, bird-orientated accommodation and reference information." And easy to navigate.

Birding in Bulgaria - A complete list of the birds you will find in Bulgaria, prime birding areas, bird ringing or banding and ethics along with a few good sections on travel in Bulgaria that feature a map plus good overviews of the climate and guided tours.

also see in Recreation -> Camping