Birding

Birding is a lifelong big-tent interest! There are many ways to pursue it depending on your personality, available time, health, lo-cation, and other commitments.

• Focus is on the actions of one bird or interactions of a pair, family group, or flock.
• Sounds. Songs, chip notes, and wing sounds often appeal to those with a musical ear.
• Fascination with a particular group (shorebirds, gulls, raptors, sparrows, etc.). This intense interest may dictate a year’s calendar, even determining vacation destinations.
• Single species. Preference for one species (Wood Duck, Purple Martin, Eastern Bluebird, etc.). Enthusiasts may improve habitat, provide nest sites, or offer food.
• The most successful wildlife photographers cultivate a knowledge and understanding of the behavior and habitats of certain groups or species
• Even amateurs can assist in scholarly research, while involvement in Citizen Science projects is limited only by one’s time and energy.
• Assisting at a banding station requires deep commitment and extensive training. The intimacy of handling birds can be an excellent educational experience, as well as awe-inspiring,
• Appreciating birds for their grace and beauty is legendary.
• Social/Family Activity. Sharing an interest with a friend, social group, or family may be more satisfying than amassing long lists of species. It may spark a lifelong interest and strengthen generational bonds.
• Health and Exercise. The sights and sounds of birds can enrich a daily walk or run, while immersion in the natural world is a way to reduce stress. Gardening is gentle exercise that can also improve habitat.
• Providing food is an easy way to connect with local birds without leaving home.
• Conservation. An interest in birds can lead to activism protecting habitats and species.
• Writing sharpens observational skills and preserves memorable experiences.
• Art and Crafts. Birds are both subjects and inspirations for a wide variety of arts and crafts.

The word “birder” is frequently used synonymously with “lister.” The term refers to the person who creates multiple lists of birds, amassing as many species as possible. Becoming an accomplished observer who can do this accurately requires intensive study, extensive field time, and cooperation with other birders. Most listers are extremely generous in mentoring those with less proficiency and experience. The Howard County Bird Club is fortunate in having a large and growing cadre of excellent birders who enthusiastically share their skills and knowledge.

But what if you are not a lister? Are you also a birder? Absolutely! There are many ways to enjoy birds. Your method may fall into one (or more) of these categories (or one that isn’t listed). Interests can change and overlap, sometimes within a short period, almost certainly multiple times in the course of one’s life. What characterizes your birding interest?

Whatever your method of enjoying birds, you, too, are a birder!

I am deeply grateful to the dozens of individuals who, over a birding lifetime, have opened my eyes to the size and scope of the birding tent.

—Jo Solem

Have you ever wondered why the “good” bird you put on an eBird list does not appear in the major lists or on the maps? The species wasn’t marked “rare,” so why wasn’t it accepted as the First Observed of the year?

The secret to having your sightings accepted is simple: verify any seldom-seen bird, any species noted out of normal timing, any species that is easily confused with another, or one that is easily misidentified. The necessary documentation can be any or all of the following: a few field marks, an extended description, one or more photos, or a recording.

Why bother when it’s not required? Although the eBird reviewers are extremely skilled and have experience throughout the state, they are aware that there may be major differences in sightings of certain species, sometimes within a short distance. Some of these differences are due to topography, weather patterns, the number of skilled birders covering an area, the type of land development, as well as unknown factors. When reviewers make decisions (often after consulting with skilled local birders), they depend on what appears on the list and past records for that location. If the bird’s name is all that’s on the list and the species or the date would be one of the few records for that location, if it is out of normal time periods, or if it is a species that could easily be misidentified, then the sighting is likely to be turned down. Phrases such as “unmistakable” or “ID by Merlin” are not really helpful. What may be unmistakable to you does not describe what you saw. Merlin, as magical as it is, makes mistakes. It can draw your attention to species you didn’t know were near, but please visually verify if the bird is out of habitat, the date is unusual, or all you hear is a chip note or a single song.

If eBird doesn’t flag the species as rare, what reference should you use? Become intimately acquainted with the Howard County Annotated Bird Records on the club’s website under Birding. It is an unparalleled reference that includes specific information from more than a half century of records. It provides both text and a graph for every Howard County species and is updated regularly!

If you have found a species that is seldom seen in the county or is at an odd time but you aren’t quite certain of the identification, PLEASE DO NOT GUESS. Tim asks that you send photos or copies of notes to him or Russ at the emails below before adding the species or entering the list. It is much easier to have birds identified before anything is entered, rather than to hope the misidentified bird will be removed later if it is not accepted.

Including adequate documentation of your special sightings on any list is the sign of a skilled and careful observer and can only enhance your reputation. During the past year, many of you have increased notations on your lists. We thank you, as it makes our job much easier!

Howard County eBird reviewer: Tim Carney, timcarney83@gmail.com ; Howard County Records Committee: Joanne Solem, Joe Hanfman, Russ Ruffing, russruffing@gmail.com (Annotated Records compiler).

Programs

Our programs feature travelogues and photos from birding trips, bird identification tips, natural history features, conservation topics, and other topics of interest to people who love natural history.

Programs are held the second Thursday of each month from September through May at the Robinson Nature Center and virtually using Zoom.Meeting/program begins at 7:30 p.m. Starting December, 2020, videos of most previous programs on the HCBC channel on YouTube

There are trips in Howard County and Maryland not only to birding spots but also to places that emphasize other natural history topics (e.g., butterflies).

With the availability of a web page, the results of the club’s birding field trips are now available in an electronic format on the Field Trip Reports page, which also lists cancelled field trips.

In addition to a full schedule of programs and field trips, we compile migratory and resident bird records four times a year. May Count, Fall Count and Mid-winter Count are one day county-wide surveys, and members can also participate in the Audubon Triadelphia Christmas Count that includes about one-third of the county. On these counts, new or inexperienced birders can be placed with those with more experience.

More information is available on the Seasonal Bird Counts page.

Consult the Backyard Birding page to learn about:

Food types

Expected Backyard feeder birds

Feeder styles

Feeder placement

Feeder care

Even it it is not your trash, follow the example of Mary Lou and Meg!

The WSSC Manager can provide gloves, trash bags and other supplies and perform pick up to assist our reservoir efforts. So if birders haul to the parking lots (next to the porta potties is useful) of Pigtail and Big Branch, WSSC will do the removal from there. They appreciate us.

Do your part in keeping other areas clean, too!

All members receive emails about sightings for bird species that are unusual for Howard County. The sighting must have been sighted or verified by a qualified observer. The bird must remain long enough for other birders to travel to the site and expect to see it and be on property accessible to the average birder. If there are restrictions on access imposed by the property owner, people will be required to register with the HCBC Field Trip Chair (who will organize groups permitted to access the property).