People ask me for tips about bird watching. I’m no expert. But I’ve seen birds in a few places. And I write about them. So I get these questions.
Today, out in wild country near my home, a place of old forest, meadow and more forest, I got a simple idea.
I realized that there’s a tip I could give people about bird watching. I know a place where I always see more birds than any other place.
It’s the edge. The edge of the forest. Or the edge of the meadow. Depending on how you look at it.
This is the spot where the woods butt up against a clearing. It’s a pretty clear-cut line. On one side, there’s shady forest. And on the other, there’s sunny open area, a place with groundhogs, snakes and dragonflies; short grass, long grass.
The birds that hang out in the deep, cool woods come to the edge to get a glimpse of what’s going on in the sun, I guess. There are new bugs to eat there, fresh air to breathe, a little creek with water to drink. Birds of the forest are not as likely to be seen deep in the forest as they are on its edges.
And birds of the open areas, sparrows, kingbirds, goldfinches, swallows, species that like meadows and prairies are also drawn to the edge. There’s a whole other selection of bugs there, the kind that seek shade, like mosquitoes and black flies.
At the edge, you’ll get to see both forest birds and field birds. Go stand there. Just wait. They’ll come around. That’s my advice. You want the best chance to see some birds? Remember what I said. It’ll give you an edge.
