Birds – Become our good companions!

Going for a walk on a pleasant morning will give us an opportunity to listen to the sweet chirping of birds. Their delicate tweeting sound will fill some enthusiasm within us if we keep watching them every day. Bird watching is really a very interesting hobby and we don’t require a lot of equipment other than a pair of binoculars and a field guide to identify the bird.

If we make bird watching a habit, then we will get ample opportunities to see rare species, apart from the occasional common varieties. Don’t you think the beautiful sounds they use to communicate can sometimes become a hilarious experience for us? Still a large number of people all over the world enjoy watching birds or birding.

If you are a beginner in birding, then your first activity should be identifying birds. You have to make a list of birds that are commonly found in your locality. The best way to start this process is to go with someone who has been birding for a while.

To identify a bird, one could use so many clues like recording its shape and size, plumage and coloration, behavior, habitat, and voice. Sometimes we can recognize a bird with very little clues, but this will be possible only when a persons birding abilities increase.

We can also use a good bird guide, as it will contain information about the bird’s habitats, behaviors, voice etc. These guides give more information about the various birding sites, videos, portals and documentary archives about birds, which you can conveniently access with the comfort of sitting at your home PC connected to any of the popular Internet service providers like ATT Uverse Internet.

Whenever you go for bird watching, please follow some birding ethics like –

Do not disturb birds with too much voice.

Take extra care during the breeding season of birds.

Don’t handle eggs or young ones too long at nests.

Avoid using bird voices recorded audio tapes to attract birds.

Follow rules of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

I recently took a trip to India on an expedition to learn more about the bird species there. After the trip, I felt like India is a bird watcher’s paradise. We can find a large number of resident birds in India, and this includes some native and some introduced. India blessed with a variety of bird species, including 925 breeding species. Some of the commonly found birds are:

Myna - This is a dark chocolate brown color bird with bright yellow bill, legs and orbital skin. This is a very visible bird in India, having a habit of following humans around. It eats whatever its habitat has to offer.

Parakeet or Parrot – This is the most lovable bird in India. People used to have it in their houses. Usually green in color with an amazingly red beak, however the female parrot lacks the black and rose pink collar of male. It usually feeds on grains and plantain.

Indian Peacock – Among different varieties, blue colored peacock is regarded as one of the most beautiful birds throughout the world. It is also the national bird of the Indian subcontinent. While peacock is the name given to a male peafowl, the female is known as Peahen. It is a swan-sized bird, with a long and slender neck.

Great Indian Hornbill – This bird is considered as the largest member in the hornbill family. It is usually found in the forests of Indian subcontinent and Sumatra, Indonesia. The bird’s average lifespan in Indiaexceeds 35 years and may go up to 50 years in captivity.

Kingfishers – These birds are found in the woodland areas as well as wetlands. They are superb divers and they catch fish from rivers very easily using their pointed bills. They also got very good eyesight.

Owls – There are many varieties of owls and many of these are found all over except for regions of Antarctica and remote islands. The unique feature of owls is that it can rotate its head in any direction.

Other than these, many varieties of beautiful and attractivebirds can be found in nature. Birds prefer freedom, so you need to think twice or thrice before making it as a pet. Observe and get pleasure from their presence by keeping a safe distance from them.

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