RESOURCES FOR NEW BIRDERS
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Spring 2022 Migration:

Just get out and bird!
Nothing works better to learn birds (or is more fun) than going out with other birders to see new birds.  Northeast Ohio is fortunate to have guide-led bird walks at multiple locations all spring.  These walks are all led by knowledgeable, experienced leaders who happily take new birders "under their wing".   These walks are a GREAT way to get started birding! 

• Audubon Spring Bird Walks starting Sunday, April 10th - series of 6 Sunday morning bird walks on starting at 22 different locations around northeast Ohio, led by experienced birders from Kirtland Bird Club and other area clubs. These walks give people an opportunity to see a wide variety of birds.  A lot of experienced birders got started on these walks.  These programs are all free.  
• Cleveland Metroparks' Birding Programs, especially their Birding 101 series of six walks (scroll down to find it) - choice of Saturdays or Sundays in April, May, and June - Canalway Center 10AM to noon, $15 for the 6 week series, a limited number of sets of binoculars are available for loan.  A publication the Metroparks produces will give you a day by day listing of what's going on in all of the Metroparks each day.  You can sign up HERE for an email or a free print version.  Click HERE to get a list of all of their bird programs by day - just click on "filters" and enter "bird" as the keyword.  You'll see lots of bird walks and programs at a variety of parks.  You can also search by park, by keyword (tree? native plants? wildflowers? butterflies? moths?)

Online Educational Programs

• From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Bird Academy, "The Joy of Birding" - a series of  8 videos aimed at beginners, scholarships are available 
• From the Kirtland Bird Club: Our series BirdWatching for Everyone, six 90 minute introductory videos featuring some of our best birders sharing methods for identifying birds by their features, family, habitat, and songs, where to look for birds, how to describe where a bird is so someone else can help you identify it, and more - free
• From National Audubon Society, videos on topics of interest to new birders: 

Where to Bird:
       In Cuyahoga County
       Favorite Places to Bird in Northern Ohio 
       Birding in Ohio
       Birdcam - live video from more than a dozen bird feeding stations and nests around the world

What to Wear & What to Bring with you when Birding:

• Binoculars!
• Wear Layers - it can be cold & rainy early on Spring mornings, but 75 or higher later in the morning
• Wear comfortable shoes or boots that can get muddy or wet

• Sunscreen, water, snacks (optional), gloves, raincoat or umbrella, waist pack or back pack for carrying a few items, insect repellant (only needed occasionally), extra pair of socks or shoes (optional)
• Field guide - field guide books with pictures are better than apps for beginning birders
• Dress more warmly than you think you'll need to dress - birdwatching involves a lot of slow walking and stationary activity
• Small notebook if you want to keep a list what you see - checklists are provided on some field trips and are available at some parks and nature centers
• Camera (not recommended) - better to see the birds than try to photograph them - it's harder than it looks and takes away from time that is better spent seeing more birds!

About Binoculars:
       Audubon Society's Binocular Guide
       2020 Review of Binoculars
       Time & Optics - a well-stocked shop for binoculars & spotting scopes - in Millersburg, Ohio
          
WEBSITES & LINKS FOR NEW BIRDERS:

All About Birds - Online Guide to Birds and Birdwatching - from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Bird Academy - from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Birding by Ear - from Audubon Great Lakes

Larkwire - an app for learning bird songsb! 

Kirtland Bird Club Bird Identification Videos - series of six 90 minute videos by experienced birders that guides you through all aspects of identifying birds

​“7 Tips for Watching Birds During The Spring Lockdown – Here are some principles you can apply to any form of nature study”, by David Sibley:

Audubon Great Lakes Region - includes activities for kids


BEST FIELD GUIDES FOR BEGINNERS:

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern & Central North America, Seventh Edition

Sibley Birds East - The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America

Free Field Guides for Common Birds, Raptors, and Owls from Ohio Department of Natural Resources


​BEST PHONE APPS:

Sibley Birds v2 app (for bird ID) - $20 in the app store

Peterson Birds of North America app (for bird ID)

iBird app (for bird ID) - $4.99

Merlin app (for bird ID - including bird songs, chips, and calls) - Free

eBird app - more advanced, includes checklist uploads, info on bird trends, citizen science etc. - Free
       
AUDIO RECORDINGS FOR NEW BIRDERS:
       Backyard Birding 101

LEARNING BIRD SONG:
       Minnesota Bird Songs - with images - we get almost all of these birds in Northeast Ohio
​       Birding by Ear - from Audubon
       Birding by Ear - Peterson audio guide - step by step, adding new birds as you go

​NEW BIRDER VIDEOS FOR KIDS:
         
Monica Marshall's Boys & Girls Club's Cyber Club videos: 
         Go Wild Adventure Club: July 13, 2020:  "Get ready for your adventure"       
         Go Wild Adventure Club: May 18, 2020: "What will we see?"