Whether you are traveling or staying home in your neighborhood you can find excellent bird watching spots. All you need to remember are a few general guidelines. Like humans, birds are creatures of habit. In other words, you can count on certain birds to always show up in certain places. Knowing this will help you locate and view birds. This is great information for bird watching for beginners.
As community developments spread farther and farther from the cities into rural areas it is sometimes hard to find wooded areas. This is the bite of urban sprawl. If you are fortunate to still have wooded areas nearby this should be an excellent place for spotting birds along the borders of wooded areas.
Coastal living or coastal visits allow for a diversity of bird sightings. Beach lovers, sun bathers, and bird watchers will all flock toward the ocean, so make sure you arrive early to be able to park and find a space that is ideal for bird sighting. Habitats are a bit different along different areas of the coast. However, in general you can expect to find sandpipers, plovers, and other shorebirds. You are also likely to spot heron and egrets.
People who live near marshes, bogs, or flooded areas get tired of mosquitoes and bugs. The good news is that where there are bugs there will be birds. Mosquitoes and other insects make great food for birds. In these areas look for birds like bitterns, blackbirds, wrens, sparrows, flycatchers, and warblers.
You may also find bird watching sites near man-made lakes and dams. In the winter, look around these sites for non-migratory birds. Non-migratory birds may also hang around farmhouses or chicken coops where they are likely to pick up a little seed on the side. Finally, if all else fails, just get outside and start looking around right where you are. The birds are there; you just have to be patient and you’ll see them.