We spend a lot of time among the trees on our up north property and the forest surrounding it.  Observing birds in this lush habitat is a relaxing activity that we’ve grown to enjoy. It’s also an activity that people of all abilities can participate in which makes it a gem for our family because finding activities for our daughter with disabilities can be a challenge.

I wanted to learn more about Birdwatching or Birding and was thrilled to hear that our library was offering a Zoom presentation on the topic.  Caitlin and I attended the event titled “Let’s Go Birding”. It was presented by Greg Bodker.  He’s an expert on Birding and did an outstanding job explaining all facets of the hobby.  Here’s a link to his website www.backyardbirdsandbeyond.com  There’s a plethora of information and a calendar of his upcoming events.  If you have a chance to attend one of his presentations, it’s worth the time because you will learn a lot!

The first thing we learned is what is Birding or Birdwatching?  Basically, it is observing birds, their behavior, their sounds and enjoying the activity in nature.  A novice like myself uses the terms Birding and Birdwatching interchangeably.  But there is a difference! Birdwatching is used to describe more casual observations.  For example, maybe you have a bird feeder at your home and like to sit on the porch or gaze through the window to watch activity throughout the day.  Birding, on the other hand, is described as having more passion, dedication and intensity to learn about birds.  This would include cataloging types of birds you’ve observed, researching sounds and shapes of birds and maybe even traveling far and wide to observe specific species.  The presentation we attended was specific to Birding.  Greg also gave a presentation a week earlier on Birdwatching that we missed.  But I was able to pick up notes at the library so I’ll share learnings on that too.

Next, he spoke about all the tools needed to optimize our Birding experience.  He recommended the best types of binoculars,  various field guides, a scope for distance viewing, mobile apps for identifying sounds and shapes, and podcasts for education.  Being a beginner, this sounded like a lot to invest in, especially not knowing how frequently we might use the equipment.  But totally by chance, we discovered that the library has a birdwatching kit that you can check out! It comes with everything that he recommended to get started.  This is a fantastic option if you want to give it a try but don’t want to spend the money on all the equipment.

By this time we reached about the halfway point of the hour and a half presentation.  This is a long time for Caitlin to sit still and I was worried she might be getting bored and want to leave.  But Greg moved on to the next section where he captivated us with his personal Birding experiences.  He shared amazing pictures and videos that kept us engaged and glued to the computer screen.  He has trekked thru all kinds of terrain and adverse weather conditions to get a glimpse of birds that have eluded him. He’s even traveled abroad for his beloved hobby.  The anecdotes of his adventures were interesting and entertaining.

Lastly, he shared information on the top Birding hot spots in our area.  I was shocked to learn that there are over 200+ species of birds at Stony Creek! And Lake St. Clair Metropark has nearly 300 species of birds. We will need to plan some day trips to check them out.

I mentioned earlier that we missed Greg’s presentation on Birdwatching.  The notes that I picked up from the library had a lot of useful information.  He suggested ways to attract  birds to the backyard such as adding a feeder, water or brush pile. He provided an extensive grid on Feeder Type and Bird Seed to help guide you to attract specific birds.  Here’s an example: use a Tray feeder type with Corn,Whole and Cracked Feed to attract Jays, Doves or Juncos.   He encouraged being a responsible birdwatcher by keeping your feeder clean and keeping cats inside.  He suggested ways to enjoy “Birds in the Field” by planning day trips or by simply listening.  And he advocated for all of us to help birds by using less plastic and making windows safer for less window strikes.

We were excited to get going with all the new tools and information. No sooner did we get started though the weather took a downturn and it was too cold outside.  But we managed to use the birdwatching kit before it was due back to the library and the mobile app.  Here are some things I learned:

• Listening to bird songs was something Caitlin picked up on right away.  We sat on the porch and listened intently and her face lit up as she tuned in.  We used the recommended Merlin Bird ID app and picked up sounds of  4 different species: House Finch, Northern Cardinal, American Robin and House Sparrow.

• Caitlin loved the field guide that came with the library kit. Once we identified some birds with the app we found them in the book and read about them.  The field guide also has a bird sound device attached to it.  She had fun punching in the numbers on the pad then listening to the bird sounds.

• Caitlin has low vision and it’s hard for her to track and follow birds both with or without binoculars. We will need more practice to find a technique that works best for her.

• The scope has an attachment for a phone or camera which allows you to zoom in and take pictures.  This could be a better way for her to see birds up close. 

A huge thank you to Greg for teaching us about Birding and to the Clinton Macomb library for sponsoring this excellent event. Learning about Birding and Birdwatching was actually a fun activity in itself! Now that we’ve gotten a good start, we are looking forward to making Birding and Birdwatching an even better experience for our family!.

JoAnn O.

JoAnn’s journey as a parent and caregiver to an individual with disabilities started when her daughter was born pre-maturely with multiple health issues resulting in cognitive, physical and speech disabilities.  Over the years, JoAnn discovered that recreation, travel and social experiences can bring happiness and relief to a life that is often stressful and frustrating.  She loves to seek out adaptive, accessible and fun activities for her daughter and the whole family to enjoy.  She started the blog www.OurSpecialFunOasis.com to share her uplifting stories and positive ideas to help and to inspire others.