Birdwatching Guide

Point Pelee Birding Tours

Point Pelee birding tours, in Point Pelee National Park, are renowned for their bird migration experiences that make this the ideal location for both school field trips and bird watching in general.

With expert guides to explain to the school children at close contact how the natural habitat is interacting, and leading school groups around the national parkís various hiking trails, Point Pelee provides school children with the perfect opportunity to see first-hand all the wonders and beauties of nature at close quarters that should provide them with the perfect introduction to the wonderful and fascinating past-time of bird watching.]]> Aside from providing school children with the perfect opportunity to experience the wonders of Point Pelee, Point Pelee birding tours also provide more experienced bird watchers with the chance to take full advantage to see one (or more - hopefully) of the 375 different species of birds that make up the impressive checklist of bird species to be found in the national park.

As an added bonus to both school tour trip and advent experienced bird watchers alike, the time prior to the fall migration is the period during which the Monarch Butterflies regroup before taking just the right wind that will get them over the waters of Lake Erie. This magnificent spectacle is the ideal way for school children to see one of the wonders of nature that consistently make Point Pelee National Park one of North Americaís top 10 bird watching hotspots.

So, with its vast range of hiking trails available, Point Pelee birding tours are not only the perfect opportunity for school teachers to impress our school children of the different stages of natureís developments, birding tours of Point Pelee also give experienced bird watchers with 375 reason to keep coming back to experience this wonder of birds, butterflies, fauna, and different flora - giving a great all round reason to visit this very special part of the world.

Animal Planet Birdwatching Kit

As we all know, Animal Planet is a leading expert not only of animal behaviour and habitat, but also of educational materials about our wildlife. So, an Animal Planet birdwatching kit should grab the attention of any birdwatcher - no matter whether theyíre a serious experienced birdwatcher or complete novice.

What should you expect to find in your typical Animal Planet birdwatching kit then? ]]> Binoculars: no birdwatching kit is complete without a set of binoculars and as you can imagine Animal Planetís birdwatching kit is no different in this respect.

At the moment, the kit offers 10 x 50 binoculars to allow you to get that extra special feeling of getting a closer look at natureís wonder of birds. To help you in your optical search for our feathered friends, the Animal Planet birdwatching kit binoculars come equipped with anti-glare coated optics and a rubber-armoured body.

The binoculars also have a neck strap and easy to carry case. All of which should help you to get a clear 'birds eye' view.

Books: "Common birds and their songs" - One of the essential elements of birdwatching is being able to identify the birds in the first place!

Here, Animal Planet's birdwatching kit helps you out with a book on Common Birds and Their Songs. Besides identifying each species of bird in the book, the book also contains a concise description of the bird.

Included are insets on the habitat, voice and behaviour of all your favourite birds. The book is accompanied by a CD that helps you to identify the noise of particular different species of birds - including the sounds they make to help identify them in contact, alarm, mating and other scenarios.

With full page photographs of each of the different 50 species set out in the book, using the book and CD in conjunction with each other is truly a great introduction to the wonderful and exciting world of birdwatching.

If you are interested in getting an Animal Planet birdwatching kit, several different various Internet sites offer this at markedly reduced prices to the recommended shop retail price, so you may well want to give this some consideration before purchasing the Animal Planet birdwatching kit.

Bird Identification North America

Bird watching in North America is probably at its all time high, insofar as the numbers of people in North America there are now bird watching: but, how does a new bird watcher go about the process of correct bird identification North America.

Well, for a start you need to know these things (if possible): ]]>

the name of the bird: and this doesn't mean 'Polly'. No, what is meant by this is the correct scientific family name, species name, as well as the common name of the family and the species. To help you here you may wish to invest in an illustrated guide.

What the bird looked like - with a diagram if possible. Words like, 'fat', 'gray', etc. should be avoided as this may lead to confusion at a later date.

The bird's average wingspan, tip from bill to top of tail, and additional measurement details;

The bird's eating habits;

The bird's breeding habits;

What the bird's eggs look like and the incubation time to hatch the eggs and the average weight of the bird;

Determination of whether the bird is a migrating bird or not;

What the bird looked like; for example, the birdís color scheme;

A note on whether the birds stay round the house happily during period when no other activity is necessary;

Where possible, a description of the birdís nest could also prove to be useful;

Flight and migration patens - if known.

Once you have as much of the above information to-hand as possible, you are then two-thirds of your way through your bird identification North America process and well on your way to correctly identifying one of the 700 different types of bird species found in North America today.

And, if your bird identification North America process is really up to scratch, you may even be fortunate enough to discover a new species of North American bird!

Belize Birdwatching Tours

66% of Belize is forested. 40% of the country comprises protected areas. Most amazingly, however, is the fact that Belize is home to an amazing 540 different species of birds! With birds being so common, a visit to Belize is a 'must' if you consider yourself to be a serious birdwatcher.

So, if you are going to Belize on a bird watching vacation, here are some Belize birding hotels that you may want to consider staying at one of these places.]]>

Lamanai Outpost Lodge: located in the famous Mayan ruins area of Lamanai, Lamanai Outpost Lodge is considered a major Belize birding hotel due to its amazingly diverse habitat and vast array of species of birds. Visitors to Lamanai Outpost Lodge are usually privy to seeing over 300 different species of birds, and depending on the time of year you visit this number can be closer to 400!

Chaa Creek Cottages: located in the Mountain Pine Ridge area and home to some of the rarest birds found in Belize - such as the orange-breasted falcon. Guests at Chaa Creek Cottages have recorded seeing between 250 and 300 different species of birds that call this area of Belize home. As this is one of the Belize birding hotels located along the Mopan and Macal rivers, birdwatchers who stay here should be able to see toucans, motmots and various parrots, among other things.

Stann Creek Hotels: located in the southern part of Belize, Stann Creek Hotels is home to approximately 300 different species of birds - making this one of the most popular of the Belize birding hotels among bird enthusiasts and novices alike. The lush jungle vegetation in this part of Belize is also home to the Scarlet Macaw - of which there are believed to be on 50 remaining pairs left in the world.

Corozal Hotels: located in the northeast of Belize, in the district of the same name, staying at Belize birding hotels in Corozal means you should be able to see over 200 different species of birds. While there, keep a careful eye out for the reddish egret and white winged dove, among others. You should also be able to see a number of different species of parrots.

And these are just some of the fascinating Belize birding hotels that you can stay at in the bird watching paradise.

Birdwatching and Bird Feathers

Since the dawn of time, man has been fascinated with bird feathers. We have used them as decorations. We have used them as trophies. We have even tries to use them to assist us in our endeavors to fly.

But, were you aware that correct bird feather identification is vital if you want to know more about any particular type of bird? Well, you do now. So, here are the basics to the bird feather identification process.]]> Contour Feathers
Rather like your fingertips, a bird feather is unique to that particular bird. Moreover, bird feathers allow birds to perform particular functions - some allowing the bird in question to fly, while other bird feathers mean the bird is destined to remain flightless.

Regardless of whether or not the bird is a flying type of bird or a flightless bird, all birds have contour feathers - and it is these feathers that play the vital role of giving the bird in question its shape and color.

As such, the first process of being able to identify any bird is to look at the contour feathers of the bird in question. Unfortunately, however, for the purposes of basic bird feather identification process, contour feathers are not the most common type of bird feather found - this honor is taken my both the remiges and retrices feathers.

Remiges Feathers
If you think you have found a remiges feather then you are one step on in your bird feather identification process. The reason - finding a remiges feather means you have just correctly identified a bird that can fly, as all flying birds have remiges feathers.

Retrices Feathers
Along with the remiges feathers, the retrices feathers are the long strong feathers youíll most commonly find lying around. Retrices feathers belong in the tail of the bird.

Additional Bird Feathers
Aside from contour, remiges and retrices feathers, nearly all birds have 5 additional main types of feathers that can help you in your bird feather identification process, namely:

Down feathers - that help keep the bird snug and warm;

Semiplume feathers - that are half way between contour feathers and down feathers and act as a buffer to supply insulation;

Filoplume feathers - which are believed to act as the birds sensory function and so keep all the other types of feathers in place;

Bristles - which are found around the eyes and beaks of birds are act as protection for the bird; and

Powder feathers - which are found all over birds and whose role is not entirely understood.

As you can seen then, being able to correctly identify where on the bird the feather originates is an important step in the bird feather identification process.

North American Bird Identification

Since there are over seventy-seven families of birds in North America, including common birds such as eagles, dove, and owls, and less common birds such as shearwaters, Auks, waxwings and trogons, North American bird identification can be a difficult task.

Luckily, there are many options that make identification easier. These options include field guides, bird watching groups, tours and magazines.]]> Field guides that specialize in North American birds can be obtained at most bookstores and through your local state park. These guides include color pictures and detailed descriptions of the many species of North American birds. Larger field guides will include information for the entire area and smaller guides contain information for birds of certain regions. For beginners, the smaller guidebooks are the easiest to use.

Joining a local bird watching group is a great option for identification. Not only do most groups provide written materials on identification, they also put you in contact with expert bird watchers who can help you will all of your identification questions.

Bird watching tours are a great option for beginners and experts alike. Tours that specialize in North American birds can take to specific locales that harbor the most variety of North American birds. These tours offer the greatest chance to learn about all of the different types of birds. Plus, these tours usually include presentations on bird identification and materials that can be used later on personal bird watching adventures.

Bird watching magazines are a great option for those who wish to learn more about North American bird identification because the issues are usually packed with expert tips and solid information. The downfall to this option, however, is that the magazines usually cover a wide range of topics so it can take months to find the information you are specifically looking for.