By Ram Nambiar
(monsoonjournal.com)One doesn’t have to be another Salim Ali or Roger Tory Peterson, to fully enjoy watching our feathered friends. Bird watching is a healthy, nature lovers favourite past time now. No undue physical exertion. By outdoor birding one is truly getting back to nature. We learn to appreciate the beauty and serenity of the world around us and also realize the need to preserve this natural heritage.
Bird watching is virtually an inexpensive hobby to start. The past time is a faster growing and most popular in the U.S and Canada now. An estimated 54 million Americans are into bird watching today. Among them 20,000 are believed to be seriously involved. These enthusiasts travel to the far corners of the world to see a particular species of bird in its natural habitat.
Why this passion? Yes, “Biophilia”. Renowned sociologist- E.O. Wilson, a while back, put forward in his book the theory, he called ” Biophilia”. The abstract of it all was that we the humans subconsciously form a fondness to flora and fauna, which surround us.
Conventional medications simply failed on patients with certain unexplainable health problems. The doctors then suggested ‘wilderness therapy’. When these patients were exposed to birds’ activities on trees in blossom, green floral gardens, bushes and wilderness, the same patients showed dramatic improvement in their general health. Incurable cases became curable. Patients’ blood pressure was reduced to normal. So was the bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Arthritic and muscular dystrophy patients had a substantial easing of pain.
Birds are unique and fascinating. They have much to offer to us. They are colourful. Examples : the North American male Wood Duck, male Blackburnian Warbler. Birds in general fly in fashion. Canada geese form a ‘ V’ across the sky in flight, a pleasing spectacle.
Many of birds migrate long distances. Our stunningly beautiful Scarlet Tanager, travels from High Park woods of Toronto to Peru in Fall and returns to the same in Spring to breed here. Wood Thrush, Canada warbler, are prolific songsters.
Birds court and dance. For instance, the male Mute Swan (cob)and the female(pen)of Granadier Pond in Toronto, in the mating season, indulge in a spectacular synchronized pair formation dance.
Song birds like Baltimore Oriole in Toronto, build intricate hanging nests on high trees, truly an engineering marvel.
Most birds are devoted parents too. They give their young undivided attention and tender loving care. Watching all these in their natural habitats can be eye-soothing, amusing and most accelerating. No room for worrisome thoughts and depression.
WHERE DO WE START?
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The equipments for bird watching are simple and easy to carry around. Two important ones are:
1: A pair of binoculars( price ranging from $30 to
70 dollars.)
2 : A Bird identification book (A guide to the most familiar North American Birds: Price $ 5). Can easily fit in the back pocket.
As a beginner, a bird watcher should start from seeing and identifying waterfowl species(Swans, Geese and Ducks). They are large in size compared to song birds and thus makes it easy to study, at times, even without binoculars. Our year round residents in Toronto, -the Mute Swans, Canada Geese, Mallard ducks are those. They are in decreasing orders in size. Male and female swans and geese are almost same in size, shape an colouration(Monomorphic). The male ducks (drake)in general though, are brightly coloured and patterned. The females are drab. The ducks, therefore, are essentially dimorphic species
Etobicoke Creek, Humber River marsh, Granadier Pond, Ashbridge’s Bay, Mimico Creek in Toronto are the areas where one can go to see these large waterfowl species. There are other locations as well depending on the suburbs one lives.
In spring and early summer, however, one will be seeing diverse group of migrant ducks coming from south to splash down in our waters. They are in transit. They stop over here, rest and feed for a while before heading north of our Province, and even beyond, to breed. Some of these ducks are surface feeders (dabbling ducks) while the others frequently dive to make a living. The latter can be seen submerging and resurfacing in our bays, creeks and lake waters. Fish and zebra mussels make up their main diet. Swans and geese and essentially vegetarians.
Ducks come in varieties of colours ‘Discovery trail’ along the shores of Granadier Pond in the lower valley of High Park, Etobicock Creek at the lake mouth and Credit River in Mississauga are good locations for waterfowl watch.
Some birds do not go south in winter. These hardy ones stay put right in our area here. These permanent residents are:
Blue Jays
Starlings
House Finches
English Sparrows
Cardinals
Chickadees
Mourning Doves
Rock Doves
Gulls.
Among reluctant migrators, -the Great Blue Heron, Canada Geese and a bird of prey like the Red-tailed Hawk, seem to stick around in our area in certain winters. Even -35 degree Celsius doesn’t seem to bother them. Their feather are excellent blankets.
Now that you are graduated from the basics, it is time to buy a better and more powerful pair of binoculars, may be a 12X50 magnification. A digital Camera with a good zoom lense will be handy. Also, time to buy another slightly advanced book on identification of Ontario Birds. Most book stores in Toronto, Mississauga and elsewhere carry them.
Starting from March, till the end of May, is spring migration time. Several species of migratory birds will be pouring into our city. Many colourful ducks, wading birds such as Night heron, Shore birds like Killdeer, Sandpipers, Terns will show up in our waters and shore lines. Belted King fisher and Woodpeckers appear almost at the same time.
By April many song Birds such as Flycatchers, Swallows, Nut hatches Kinglets, Robins, Vireos, Warblers, Tanagers, Grosbeaks, Buntings, Sparrows, Meadowlark, Blackbirds, Orioles, and Finches arrive. Their songs reverberate in the woodlands, marshes and meadows. Toronto ornithologist, -the late Murry Speirs, had recorded 400 species of birds in the Province of Ontario.
Bird watching, to some extend, can be done from your windows. Make your backyard ‘bird-friendly’. Avoid using pesticides or other chemicals. Fruit trees, flowers, flower beds attract insects and most birds being insect eaters will be visiting our garden frequently. With a binocular you can study them in detail through the window. Another way to attract birds into the backyard is by placing a Bird feeder and a bird bath.
Most common are the hanging tube(my back yard photo)and the Bin feeder(box atop a pole). The writer used both these in his backyard in Mississaga and later in Milton(Photographs). Visit a pet shop. They have all kinds of bird feeders. There are so many different seeds one can buy to put in the feeder
Suet seeds
Whole Sunflower seeds
Crushed corn mixed with crushed sunflower seeds.
Thistle or niger seeds
From the writers experience, these items worked well with Cardinals, Mourning doves, Finches(yellow F and House F)Blue Jays, Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds and Baltimore orioles. It is worthwhile watching the bullying and fights among these birds for food.
Bird Bath: Birds need water to drink and also to have bath in the hot summer days. As you can see (photo of my back Yard) I had the pedestal type. Cleaning it and adding fresh water in it regularly are important.