Birding 101

Anthony Kaduck

Session 3

Course Outline

• Tue 18 Feb• Tue 25 Feb• Tue 3 Mar• Tue 10 Mar – Field Trip 9:00 a.m. Lemoine Point• Tue 17 Mar• Tue 24 Mar – No course• Tue 31 Mar • Tue 7 Apr• Tue 14 Apr• TBC – further Field Trips

Session 3

• Care and maintenance of binoculars

• Telescopes and tripods

• Shorebirds• Habitat

• Typical species

How to recognize birds

• Homework

• Habitat and season

• Call

• Find

• Observe:• Relative size

• Shape and structure

• Behaviour

• Plumage details

Binoculars

• General notes:• Environment

• Rain

• Dust

• Hard knocks

• Objective lens covers

• Ocular lens covers

• Repairs

Binoculars – Cleaning and Maintenance

• Limit the need for cleaning• (Keep your greasy fingers off the lenses!)

• Routine cleaning• Start with a soft brush or air blower

• Use lens cleaning liquid recommended by manufacturer (or eyeglass lens cleaner)

• Apply liquid to the microfibre cloth, not to the lens

• Small circles until dry

• Things to avoid• Bug juice – use Icaridin, not DEET

• Sunscreen

• Food particles

Telecopes

• Telescopes vs bins• 8x vs 60x

• Not recommended for beginners• Cost

• Added complexity

• Used primarily for shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, and generally far-away birds

• Sometimes essential, always a pain in the neck

Telecopes

• Rule 1 - get a spotting scope, not an astronomy scope• Durability

• Portability

• Field of view

• Like binoculars, quality and price are linked logarithmically

• Angled vs straight

• http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/spotting-scopes.html

Telescopes

• Travel scopes• Vortex Diamondback 60mm with 20-60 zoom - $599

• Very good scopes• Vortex Razor HD 85mm with 20-60 zoom - $2,300

• Excruciatingly good scopes• Kowa 883 88mm with 25-60 zoom - $4,100

Telescopes

• But that’s not all…• Tripod - $250-1000

• Needs to be stable and solidly built• To protect your expensive scope

• To minimize shake• Flimsy photography tripods rarely work out well

• Sized for you• Try not to add height with the centre column – decreases stability

• Lightness has a price• https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/gear/spotting-scopes/tripods/

• Pan-and-tilt head - $130 and up• Ensure you choose one intended for a spotting scope• Tangent arm• Quick release plate• Fluid damped video mount is ideal, as long as you have a Sherpa to carry it

Telecopes – Bottom Line

• Hold off on this investment until you really need it

• Poach off of other birders’ scopes

• When you are ready, get good quality equipment

Shorebirds (aka Waders)

• Amazing long distance migrants• Bar-tailed Godwit – 11,000km non-stop

• Estuary feeders

• Many similar species

• Tricky to identify• Multiple plumages• Subtle differences between species• Often at long distance/in poor light conditions

• Graduate-level birding

• O’Brien, Michael, Richard Crossley, Kevin Karlson (2006) The Shorebird Guide (New York:Houghton Mifflin)

Shorebird ID

• Relative Size

• Shape

• Length of bill

• Length and colour of legs

• Behaviour

• Plumage details

Source: The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America

Shorebird ID

• Relative Size

• Shape

• Length of bill

• Length and colour of legs

• Behaviour

• Plumage details

Shorebirds (aka Waders)

• Greater Yellowlegs

• Lesser Yellowlegs

• Black-bellied Plover

• Semipalmated Plover

• Dunlin

• Sanderling

• Spotted Sandpiper

• Solitary Sandpiper

• Ruddy Turnstone

• “Peeps”• Least Sandpiper• Semipalmated Sandpiper• Baird’s Sandpiper• White-rumped Sandpiper

Shoreline/Estuary1. Amherstview Sewage Lagoons

2. Wolfe Island – Reed’s Bay

3. Amherst Island – South shore and Martin Edwards

4. Morven/Wilton Creek

5. Presqu’ile

1

2

3

4

Yellowlegs

• Greater • Lesser

Longer than head, slightly upturned Equal to head, straight

Tends to be spotty (heavily barred in breeding plumage)

Less or no barring on flanks

• Tall, long-billed, long-necked shorebirds• Active feeders• Usually feed in water• Size difference is evident if seen in close proximity

Plovers

• Black-bellied • Semipalmated

• Larger than peeps• Black belly in breeding plumage• Belly dark but not black in non-

breeding or juvenile

• Plovers have short, blunt bills• Hunt-and-peck feeding• Rarely get their feet wet

• Small but chunky• Broad black band around neck (brown

in juveniles)• Sandy brown cap and back

Dunlin• Larger than peeps• Feeds in water but also along shorelines• Long, downcurved bill• Long legs• Black belly in breeding plumage

Sanderling (with Dunlin)

• Larger than peeps or Dunlin• Chunky• Feeds on beaches and shorelines. Keeps

its feet dry. “Clockwork toy”• Medium length straight bill• General impression of whiteness

Spotted Sandpiper• Larger sandpiper• Feeds along shorelines• Thick orange bill• Black spotting on belly in breeding

plumage

Solitary Sandpiper• Large – about same size as Spotted• Feeds along shorelines• Dark, medium length bill• Dark back with small spots – contrasts

with clean white breast• Usually solitary

Ruddy Turnstone• Large and chunky• Feeds along rocky shorelines• Bill short, thick, dark• Striking colours

Least Sandpiper

• Smallest of peeps• Usually at the edge of water but rarely stands in water• Medium length dark bill• Yellow legs• Note odd way of walking - diagnostic• Overall warm brown colour

Semipalmated Sandpiper• Very similar to Least Sandpiper• Feeds in shallow water – up to its knees• Medium length dark• Black or dark grey legs• Overall impression more grey than

brown – “cold” colours

Baird’s Sandpiper• Long-distance migrant• Long wings – primary tips extend past tail• Upright stance• Generally warm brown colours

White-rumped Sandpiper• Long-distance migrant• Long wings – primary tips extend past tail• Crouching, horizontal stance• Colder grey colour• White rump seen in flight

Next Week

• 9:00 a.m. at Lemoine Point south parking lot

• Dress for the weather

• 45-90 minutes

• Rubber or waterproof boots

• Bring bird seed if you wish

• Email from me on Monday evening: weather conditions

Questions?