Three sites for better birding

Spring is approaching, and fresh from the heady excitement of National Bird Feeding Month in February, I can hardly wait. As you may well know, our area is the birding capital of the free world, featuring an unparalleled location right on the path of two seasonal migrations.

In addition to the transients, we have our own avian residents, too, a not-too-shabby roster including everything from ospreys and merlins to Northern mockingbirds and Eastern kingbirds. If it’s got wings, there’s a good chance that it will be flying through Cape May and Atlantic counties within the next few weeks.

Crossing half the world, the birds are doing most of the hard work. For us, it’s little more than a matter of going outside and looking around. On a recent walk around my neighborhood to inspect our lush new curbing, I managed to turn up a few dark-eyed juncos, a handful of trilling red-winged blackbirds, and the always entertaining American crow.

With the wonderful reputation the Garden State holds as a birding hot spot, it is no wonder that it is the site of the internationally renowned World Series of Birding. This annual spring contest draws the best of birding, human and avian, from all around the world in a quest to identify as many birds as possible in a 24-hour period.

Seeing the birds is the easy part. Identifying them adds a bit of challenge. So, just in time for the WSB, here are a couple of handy birding information websites that can help you find a good birding spot, identify your sightings, and participate in birding’s Big Day.

www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov

Two of the main ways to identify birds are by sight and by sound. One of the best online resources for making the tricky ID is the Bird Identification resource provided by the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Most of the time they will pop up first when you Google the common name of a bird. Try it with American robin and see how it works.

In addition to  a couple of photographs of the bird in question, the site offers detailed information about a species’ field marks, which are appearance characteristics that birders use to narrow their identification choices. While a robin’s red breast is certainly a big hint, you may find other birds that also sport a very similar feature.

It is important to consult the range maps to be sure the bird you have seen actually appears in your area. While falling within the noted range is a good sign that you are on the right track, finding a bird from well out of the area is not impossible. Ask the happy New Jersey birders who spotted that mew gull at Spruce Run Reservoir last week.

Having several layers of reference at hand is always helpful when trying to identify a bird. My best technique involves snapping digital pictures of every bird I see and taking the time to ID them later on my computer. For helping me get through those tricky IDs, the Patuxent River Wildlife Research Center at www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov flies in with five spiders.

www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO

Bringing things a little closer to home, there are few birding facilities more capable than the Cape May Bird Observatory to be found anywhere in the world. Use the above link to start your visit, and work your way around the World Wide Web to find out about some of the spectacular birding opportunities right down the Parkway.

The Cape May Rare Bird Alert at www.njaudubon.org/Tools.Net/Sightings/CapeMay.aspx is a weekly stop for me, offering a look at what some of the more conscientious birders have been spotting recently and letting me know where I am likely to find them. I have managed to add more than a few birds to my list with their help.

Staffed by some of the finest ornithological experts in North America, the Cape May Bird Observatory can point you at dozens of classes, hikes, workshops, and symposia designed to enhance your complete birding experience. Their Autumn Hawk Watch is one of the highlights of my birding year, even if I just fall asleep in the sun on many visits.

If you are reading this from out of town or on the World Wide Web, know that the Cape May Bird Observatory can help you get hooked up with a professional birding guide the next time you find yourself in the area. For many, that may be reason enough to make the trip. For making Cape May County’s birding bonanza accessible to everyone, www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO picks up a flock of five spiders.

www.njaudubon.org/WSB/

Plenty of time remains for you to participate in this year’s World Series of Birding.  There are categories for birders of every level, from school-aged children just getting started to seniors spending a fun day outdoors.

An early start can help you familiarize yourself with the rules, especially some changes added this year to help protect nesting raptors from intrusion. You can take a few weekends to scout out your favorite spots before you decide which way you are planning to play the Big Day.

The Big Day Big Stay seems particularly attractive to me this year. This method is based on the idea that if you sit in one place long enough, every species of bird will eventually fly by. While that may be a bit exaggerated, there are plenty of good locations in South Jersey where Big Stay birders can stake out a 17-foot circle with hopes of seeing more than 100 species.

If you are handy with a digital camera, you can enter the photography division and count up all the species you can capture with your digicam on the Big Day. Even if you do not participate actively in the World Series of Birding this year, interested parties can sponsor players and help them to raise funds for bird-friendly causes. This is the chance to be able to tell the grandchildren that you were in the World Series, or even take them along with you. For promoting birds, birding and conservation www.njaudubon.org/WSB/ lists five well-deserved spiders.

Whether you have 15 minutes or all day, you can find birding a relaxing and uplifting pastime. I am anxious to hear from birders out there. Send your best stories and superb sightings by e-mail to granese@juno.com.