Lynn Smith identifies one of twenty-six birds that joined us on a morning walk in early May.
Let me start by saying that calling the activity “bird watching” is a misdirect: it’s primarily about bird listening. Actually seeing the birds can be quite a feat.
Last month I was introduced to this popular past time by Lynn Smith of Cavan, a local expert who has enjoyed this hobby for decades. The study of nature has always been a priority for Lynn; over the years has explored it on horseback, by canoe and on trails.
Lynn is also a long-time member of the Peterborough Field Naturalists, which is a registered charity supporting environmental education and conservation and has operated as an active club since 1940. It often hosts nature and forest walks led by experts like Lynn, organizes seasonal bird counts, and delivers education presentations at local libraries and coming opportunities for members with similar interests to meet and share their expertise and experiences.
When studying nature, timing plays a critical role. Birds are active in the early hours of the day, so the opportunity to catch a glimpse or hear a call from these creatures is highest in the early morning. The specific species and volume of sightings also depends on the location as well as the season. Some birds can only be spotted locally during their migration as they pass through on their way to their seasonal destination.
To see birds you have to go their habitat. Birds are attracted to a variety of environments, including wetlands, meadows, highlands, shorelines and forests, each one drawing different species. Our area boasts a wide variety of bird habitats. Swampy wetlands are home to marsh inhabitants such as rails, swamp sparrows and flycatchers; mature forest areas are occupied by wood-peckers, warblers and vireos; while the edges of the brush and fields attract a wide range of sparrows, yellowthroats and blackbirds.
There are sources to guide would-be bird watchers to improve their odds of finding a bird “hot spot”. The website www.thekawarthas.ca suggests the area around the Peterborough airport as a location where many species can be found. The variety of habitats in the area more than compensates for the distraction of the competing noise from aircraft overhead. The Millbrook Valley Trails are also identified as a great launching spot to catch a glimpse of birds in the area, particularly on the abandoned rail line sections. The Baxter Creek Trail crosses a variety of terrain, including forests, wetlands and meadows, providing a great diversity of birds and plants. Bird watchers can travel a bit further afield and visit the Ballyduff Trails off Hwy 7A west of Bethany, where five trails meander through meadows, forests, wetlands and a tall grass prairie restoration project. For a map, visit www.Kawarthalandtrust.org
For the novice who can’t distinguish one bird call from another, there are free apps to help identify the birds you encounter. Merlin is a birding coach for bird watchers of all levels of expertise that was developed by Cornell Labs. This free app can be downloaded at www.merlin.allabout-birds.org. After identifying the date and location of a specific bird sighting, Merlin uses sound and photo id techniques to identify the mystery bird, providing a short list of the most likely matches.
Another technical aid is found at www.ebird.org, where birdwatchers from around the world report their sightings. Managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the site receives more than 100 million bird sighting reports each year. This tool helps users locate more birds, keeps track of their sightings with lists, photos and sound recordings. By recording their sightings, amateurs provide real-time data about the distribution of birds around the world and contribute to the construction of a data base about biodiversity that contributes to conservation efforts.
My inaugural bird watching experience began at 8 am off Zion Line along the sparsely travelled Fire route that runs south beside Dawson’s Christmas Tree Farm. With forests on one side and fields on the other, the area provided a bonanza of bird sighting opportunities. My expert guide recorded 26 bird sightings in total, including a mallard, a mourning dove, a turkey vulture, robins, nuthatches, goldfinches, four types of sparrows and six warbler species. After an hour the sounds began to subside, and the calls became a bit more distinctive. Despite the binoculars provided by my generous host, the only visual evidence of birds I observed was movement in the trees.
Whether you are enjoying the sounds of birds in your backyard or on a trail hike, using these apps can enrich the experience by helping identify the sights and sounds of birds in our neighbourhood. Focusing on our surroundings can help build an appreciation for nature and its inhabitants.