Silver Gull[/caption]What is the secret of bird watching?
Bird watching is one of the most rewarding activities, as there are many different species of birds spread over many different localities. One of the reasons I enjoy bird watching so much is that I also enjoy photographing the birds.
Birds are generally shy creatures and are easily frightened away, so the secret is to slowly stalk the birds by moving toward them very slowly, stopping for a few seconds, then moving forward again, be aware of the birds movements and stop if the bird starts to get agitated.
In dry areas, stalk the birds near a watering place which they frequent and use a hide or move toward the bird with some bushes between the subject to make it more difficult for the bird to see you. A pair of binoculars is very handy to keep the bird in view.
It is very useful to study any local, council or government information on the location of any nature reserves and wetland reserves to find suitable locations to know where to concentrate your searching. Find out if any migratory birds transit through your local area and find out the places they congregate at and the time of year in which they migrate. Certain birds migrate and breed in certain areas the same time ind in the same location each year.
Birds are frightened when there are many people around, so it is best to concentrate your searching when few people are in the area.
One of the most important things with bird watching is to take the utmost care to ensure that the birds nesting and breeding activities are not disturbed.