Birding becomes a common pastime in winter months

It's deep into January and the hunting seasons are winding down as the archery deer and turkey season has ended, as have the quail and pheasant seasons. However, more and more people are taking advantage of the winter months by feeding and watching the many species of birds that are around in the winter.

There are a growing number of people who get "birdy" this time of year. They don't hunt with a gun or bow, but use a binocular to find birds. Jack Wilson, Raytown, is one of these growing number of birders. Wilson said, "Birding doesn't take much equipment, all you need is a quality binocular, a good bird identification book and a good field guide. Once you learn to recognize the bird's habitat and different traits like feeding and flying, it becomes easy to determine the different species. It gets to be a lot of fun and you can do it at your convenience."

Birders have been ready for the annual invasion of hungry birds from places up north. The big invasion of birds from Canada's north woods delight feeder-watchers in our area. The cold winters in northern states that send human "snowbirds" to the south will also send the real feathered friends to our area this winter; and the recent cold spell kept the bird feeders busy keeping their feeders full.

Wilson has taught many of his family and friends how to enjoy the birds and has given beginners tips to get them started. First, he suggests they get a good binocular, the one with 7-by-35 or 10-by-50 power that offers adequate magnification and will help at home when viewing the birds. Field notes should include the date, location, weather conditions and bird behavior, along with any unique markings such as bill shape and the curve of the wings.

Beginners must learn to identify birds by sight and sound. Knowing the shape of a bird's wings, legs, head and tail feathers makes it easier to learn the species. For example, hawks fly with rounded wings and falcons rely on more pointed wings. Pay attention to the bird's size as well.

Commit to memory prominent body markings. Stripes, eye markings and color patterns can help determine a bird's age and distinguish similar-looking species.

Familiarize yourself with the birds' favorite habitats. Habitat knowledge helps eliminate species not associated with a specific habitat and range.

Advanced birders know that it's imperative to learn bird songs, which can identify a species when the bird might be hidden in dense cover. Familiarize yourself with bird songs by chasing down each song until you discover its maker, or simply check out tape recordings at a library.

Wilson said he took his grandson on a trip to Truman Lake and they started counting the different species of birds they saw and by the day's end, they had counted 16 different species, including bald eagles. "I think that after that trip, my grandson's interest in birding took a big step," he said.

There are millions of birders in the country and many tons of bird feed will be used this winter as birders watch the hungry birds enjoy the handouts. A neighbor, who feeds the birds year around, said he couldn't keep the feeders full during the recent below zero temperatures.

"It seemed that that just a few minutes after I filled my feeders, I would look out and they were nearly empty. I counted 11 different species of birds using the feeders." Charles Davis, Lee's Summit, never thought it would be worth it to put out a bird feeder in his back yard, but with the cold start to 2010, he decided to put out a small feeder and was surprised at the result.

"In less than two minutes after I put sunflower seeds in the feeder, there was several finches using it and a few minutes later, it had birds all around it. I didn't think there were that many birds in our neighborhood. Now the feeder is an attraction, not only to the birds, but also our grandchildren. I'm glad I started helping the birds through the winter," he said.

Bird watching and feeding has become a winter sport for many people from grandkids to grandparents and Wilson said, "Once you get started, you will want to keep it up. It will surprise you just how much enjoyment you will get from learning more about our feathered friends."