One of the great aspects of birding is that it can be done almost anywhere. From the most remote areas to your very own backyard, as long as you can find birds, you can bird watch!
Verdin, Bob McCormick
Backyard (or neighborhood) birding doesn’t require much time or effort, making it accessible to those with limited hours to spare. It also makes birding possible during the sweltering summer months.
Taking the time to bird locally provides ample opportunity to build bird identification skills, practice note-taking and sketching, hone in binocular and camera work, and provides a connection and understanding of the local landscape.
One thing that backyard birding makes particularly more accessible is the ability to observe bird behavior over time. Making repeated observations of local birds can aid in building identification skills beyond appearance. Additionally, it yields a deeper understanding of bird ecology by understanding how birds interact with one another, find mates, nest, and migrate.
Backyard birding can also make a difference beyond the bounds of your area. In addition to being great personal practice, when observations are logged via eBird, iNaturalist, or other citizen science apps, these data can be useful for researchers to better understand urban bird communities.
Attached below is a write-up by longtime SAS member and co-chair, Karen LaFrance, talking about her journey with mindful birding, watching the winged visitors to her yard for over 30 years.
This write-up highlights one of the most wondrous parts of not just backyard birding, but of the practice of birding in general: mindfulness. To highlight a particular section, the Guiding Principles of Mindful Birding are:
• an awareness of being in the moment with the birds & an intention
to turn our attention to birds and nature for self-care
• of being without judgment in order to allow an experience to be
what it will be, & not be disappointed by what happens (or doesn’t)
• an exploration of one’s curiosity, wonder, and openness to
experiencing awe.”
Our Birding Resources section has several useful pages for the backyard birder, including pages on common urban birds and a more comprehensive checklist of birds in Arizona. For beginner birders, be sure to check out our Getting Started page to learn more about identifying birds, selecting and using field guides, equipment, and other essential topics. Using bird feeders is a great way to get birds to your backyard, but be mindful of proper care to prevent the spread of avian diseases and fungi. To learn more about attracting birds to your backyard and supporting your local ecosystem, take a look at our Building Bird-Friendly Communities page.
Happy birding!
Lark Sparrow, Bob McCormick
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