Brad

I was lucky enough to be invited by the Jamaica Tourist Board to visit the island and see the amazing bird watching opportunities that Jamaica has to offer. Jamaica has 28 endemic bird species (species that live only in Jamaica) and it is possible to see them all in one trip with a knowledgeable local guide. I missed a couple of them, but the trip was meant to be an overview to get me to see a number of different birding locations in Jamaica rather than personally get me to see as many birds as possible.
I, along with five other journalists who focus on bird watching topics, was put up at two of Jamaica’s finest eco-friendly hotels/ lodges during my stay. Both offer great food and accomodations while maintaining environmentally sound business practices. I enjoyed both Hotel Mocking Bird Hill and Forres Park very much. We were able to find unique birds on the grounds of both places and both were within relatively easy driving distance of some of Jamaica’s top birding habitats (for the experienced local drivers that were provided to us).
Click this link to read more about the bird watching vacation in Jamaica or click here if you just want to see the pictures from the Jamaica trip.

As you may know, I write a column on birdwatching for the Manchester, NH edition of Examiner.com. As a part of that column, I regularly go out into the field and take pictures of birds and various birdwatching locations around New England. I have the opportunity to hang around with many excellent bird photographers (of which I am not one). However, despite my ordinary point and shoot, autofocus digital camera and lack of formal training and experience, I and my readers enjoy the bird photogrpahs that I do take and publish. There are a few basic tips that can help anyone take better bird and wildlife photographs and that is the topic of my latest Manchester Bird Watching Examiner article, called Bird Watching 101: How to Take Better Bird Photos. If you’ve ever wanted to improve your nature and wildlife photography, this article is a good place to start for those just starting out and with only a basic digital camera.

Nature photogrpahy and wildlife photography in particular, is a great family activity that is enjoyable, educational, and eart-friendly. Whether you are going on a birdwatching vacation or just snapping some pics of the birds at your backyard feeder, use these simple tips to get better pics.

There is a new Facebook fan page for the Manchester Bird Watching Examiner. That’s me! If you want to join a fun Facebook group with lots of other people interested in birds and birdwatching, then become a fan today. Fans will also have the opportunity to suggest new articles that may appear in the Examiner and can post questions about birds in the discussion groups to be answered by the Manchester Bird Watching Examiner directly.

Share your bird pictures or videos and join the discussion

The page will also contain links to bird identification guides, ways to attract birds to your yard, birdwatching equipment reviews and more. If you have a bird related blgo or website, or know of an important bird related cause, please join and leave a link in the links section, on the wall, or in the discussion pages.

This year the Great Backyard Bird Count is being held from February 12th, 2010 through February 15th, 2010. People all over the United States and Canada are being asked to help Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology conduct one of the biggest annual bird counts in the nation. To participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, all you need to do is spend as little as fifteen minutes watching brids and marking down the species you see along with the highest number of birds of each species that you see at any given time while you are watching. There are convenient online submission forms and complete directions for the Great Backyard Bird Count here. You can spend your fifiteen minutes or more of birdwatching time anywhere within the United States or Canada, including your own backyard. This is a very easy way for the average person to make a real contribution to important scientific studies. Everyone who participates will also be entered into a prize drawing for the many prizes being offered by sponsors like Wild Birds Unlimited and the National Audubon Society. You’ll not only be helping bird researchers, but you could win a Wingscapes Bird Cam, bird feeders, bird identification books, or one of the many other bird-related prizes. Click the link above for more information and a handy list of links to everything you’ll need to participate in the 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to show your Earth-friendly side by helping bird researchers to map bird populations across North America. It’s fun for the entire family and it’s easy to do, and it takes only as much time as you want to put into it.

Two new birding books ahve been publsihed by Princeton University Press. They are Birds of Eastern North America, a Photographic Guide and Birds of Western North America, a Photographic Guide both by Paul Sterry aan Brian E. Small. Click this link for a complete review of these new birdwatching field guides. I highly recommend both of these books as you will be able to tell from the review. They are a bit bigger than most birding field guides and so they are a little more bulky to carry around, but that leaves more room for bigger pictures to help identify birds.

The ivory-billed woodpecker was once the biggest woodpecker in the United States, but it was declared extinct. There have been continuing reports of expert birders hearing the unique drumming and call of the ivroy-billed woodpecker in the remote swamps of Florida, but no strong photogrpahic evidence has been produced of its continued survival. It is quite possible that there are some remaining ivory-billed woodpeckers hiding there. However, there is no doubt that what was once the second largest woodpecker in the United States, the pileated woodpecker, is alive and doing well. ALthough it was once threatened by habitat loss, the pileated woodpecker is learning to live on the outskirts of human communities. Although there are limits since this large bird survive by digging insects out of large dead trees, as long as it has the resources it needs to feed, it seems to be making a recovery in terms of population numbers.
More information about the behavior and identification of the pileated woodpecker

Here is a slideshow of the nine species of woodpecker that can be commonly found in New Hampshire. For the record that would be: the pileated woodpecker, the red-headed woodpecker, the red-bellied woodpecker, the black-backed woodpecker, the three toed woodpecker, the downy woodpecker, the hairy woodpecker, the northern flicker, and the yellow-bellied sapsucker. See a collection of pictures and learn identification tricks for each of these species. Note that these birds are not only New Hampshire natives, but range from Canada down the east coast of the United States and some of these birds are found throughout whole country.
Woodpecker Identification Pictures

A new report by the US Fish and Wildlife Service shows that birdwatchers spend more than $35 billion dollars each year in pursuit of their hobby. This translates into big business for many states that draw large numbers of out of state birders and show that states and local communities have a strong financial incentive to protect bird habitat and promote it for public use. Working with local land conservation agencies should be a strong priority for communities that want to attract birding dollars to their local buinesses. Read the full report on the business of birdwatching here.

Did you ever wonder what the numbers mean on binoculars? Which is better 8×32 or 10X30? Find out how to choose a good pair of binoculars for birdwatching or any other purpose. How to choose good Birdwatching binoculars. Everythign you need to know about binocular features and specifications without getting too technical. Whether you need good binoculars for birding field trips or for birdwatching in your backyard, you’ll learn what you need to know about binoculars at the linked article. It also has a list of places near Manchester, NH where you can buy binoculars.

Not only are you very likely to see hawks, but you will definitely see more blueberries between late June and August than your entire family can possibly carry home - and they’re free for the picking. Blue Job Mountain is home to many birds, and birdwatchers will recognize the call of the Rufous-sided Towhee around the summit of Little Blue Job. As for raptors, many live on the mountain including both Cooper’s hawks and Sharp-shinned hawks, both of which are often referred to as chicken hawks. Despite their presence, many local families have free range chickens roaming their yards. Click for more information about Birdwatching at Blue Job Mountain in Strafford, NH.

Birdcams and Backyard Feeders

Posted using ShareThis An articel about birdwatching for those who are physically unable to get around outdoors. Placing bird feeders in the yard so that they are visible from your windows and using the Internet to find live cameras set up to watch bird feeders or bird nests is a great way to continue birdwatching.