{"id":14650,"date":"2023-10-29T09:44:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T08:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fernwehmotive.de\/?p=14650"},"modified":"2024-02-27T08:57:46","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T07:57:46","slug":"birdwatching-einsteiger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fernwehmotive.de\/en\/birdwatching-einsteiger\/","title":{"rendered":"Birdwatching for Beginners - with Binoculars in Search of Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Birdwatching will make you happy! You can do it almost anywhere and it doesn't have to cost much. What hobby can compete with that? A study even showed that increasing bird diversity by ten percent increases individual life satisfaction just as much as a ten percent salary increase. What could be more logical than going out more often and looking for birds? The good thing is that you don't have to be a pro to do it, beginners will become just as happy when birdwatching!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the following article, I will show you where and when<\/strong> you can go birding and how<\/strong> to collect your first moments of happiness as a birdwatcher. There are many informative links to help you get started. A very important point is that you do not disturb the birds during your observations and \"do not go over bird corpses\" during your observations. There is a separate chapter on this at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birdwatching is healthy and at any age is a great way to spend more time outside in nature. You can do it alone, in which case it's almost a bit meditative, or in a group. It doesn't have to be the Camargue or the Danube Delta. Even in Germany there are many places where you can watch birds. Even in the cities!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unassigned, unpaid advertising. The article contains affiliate links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The house sparrow. In Berlin, it can still be seen very often, but in other cities, populations have plummeted enormously. Why? The sparrow breeds in cavities in buildings. With the increasing renovation of many buildings, more and more breeding cavities are falling away.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Everything can, Nothing must - the Equipment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you need to start birdwatching? First of all your own eyes, ears and attention. With that you can start. Very simple. What else you need are some snacks, water and a bit of patience. It's best to dress in muted colors. Bright colors or white can startle the birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have binoculars or a camera with a telephoto zoom? Great. Take it with you. If not, it doesn't matter. You'll see birds anyway. It's helpful to have a small notebook and a pen to write down the species you've seen. Of course, you can also do this on your smartphone. There are even apps that you can use to report your observations and thus contribute to the data collection of bird research projects, such as Naturgucker.de.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A walk along the water's edge is always worthwhile for bird sightings. Here, a gray heron keeps a lookout from the grassy roof of a cottage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bird Identification Books and Apps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best identification book I ever held in my hands is the Cosmos Bird Guide*<\/a>, also known as \"Svensson\". It is available as a book and as an app for Android and iPhone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are other apps that allow you to identify birds by their appearance or song. I really liked the app Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab<\/a> , as well as the eBird app.<\/a> auch sehr gut gefallen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning the bird calls<\/strong> is extremely helpful. You can use it to increase your sighting success even more. The apps can be a good help with this as well. The website Vogelstimmen.de<\/a> offers thousands of free links to recordings of various bird calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Unmistakable! In autumn, the cranes migrate south by the tens of thousands.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The best Places for Birding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You don't have to go far to make your first successful birding trip. Even in the city park<\/strong> next door, you can see many different species. Most often you will see blackbirds, great tits, blue tits, robins, great spotted woodpeckers, nuthatches, jays, magpies, and of course sparrows, woodpigeons, and crows. Cemeteries<\/strong> with old stands of trees are also a good place to watch birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have the opportunity, you will be able to see many more species in the forest, in the fields, and along the water and the coast<\/strong> you will be able to discover many more species. With each new habitat you explore, your personal species list will quickly grow longer. You can find tips on good observation areas, including a list of species, in the Naturgucker<\/a>database. You can also enter your own observations here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A black-headed gull on one of Berlin's numerous lakes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is always worthwhile to keep an eye out for birdwatching towers or to research them on the Internet beforehand. For Brandenburg, for example, NABU has a clear map of birdwatching towers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also find good places for bird watching in Germany on the Birding-Germany website.<\/a>My personal favorites are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n