Subject: Re: birding technique
Date: Apr 11 13:59:20 1995
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at ups.edu


Tom, one of my very favorite places for stationary birding is the end of
the Ocean Shores jetty.. But the place I most often use the "sit-and-wait"
strategy is in my yard. As often as I can I spend time outside just to see
what will wander through the yard or fly over, or what the birds that are
resident there are doing. A surprising number of hawks move through the
air space above my house. As soon as daylight savings time comes, we start
sitting out in the yard for a while on nice evenings.

Unfortunately, human presence slows down activity at the feeders, as we're
probably not outside often enough for the birds to lose their fear of us,
and I suspect sitting in a blind would get you more results than sitting
out in the open. But there's still very often something to see.

Just as often, I glance out a window as I'm sitting in or walking through a
room, and I see something interesting happen. Just watching sparrows and
juncos feed on the ground can be interesting if you really look at them.

I'm sure there are places you could sit for an hour and not see much, but
in places where birds concentrate, the probability of "action" is higher,
and just about anywhere is at least worth a try. It's nice to have
pleasant weather when you're staying put in it, I'll say that.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416