Getting Started In Birding

Binoculars help us get close to birds without scaring them. We do not recommend a specific brand since each person’s needs are different. Get the best you can afford; higher prices mean better optics and longer lasting (good starter pair cost $150-300). Try out different binoculars at the Optics4Birding store in Irvine or at our Annual Pancake Breakfast. 

For children, get a pair where the barrels can bend closer together for a child’s narrower face.

Binoculars can last many years when properly maintained. See attached instructions: Download

Get several books for variety. Choose from guides with illustrations (Sibley Guide to Birds and National Geographic’s guide) and photographs (Kaufman Field Guide and Garrett & Dunn’s Birds of Southern California). Remember that birds are individuals and not every bird will look exactly like the art or photo. 

Birding apps include Merlin by Cornell Lab of Ornithology (free), Audubon Bird Guide (free), Sibley eGuide to Birds, iBird Pro & Ultimate, and National Geographic Birds. Find one that fits your needs! And remember, please be respectful and do not play audio recordings in the field which can disturb birds (especially during nesting season.)

Learn to keep a field journal which will help you identify and remember birds. Your journal can include descriptions, sketches, and numbers which aid identification. You can keep trip lists, county bird lists, first-of-season dates (first date a species appears in your yard each year), nesting behavior, and more. Many birders keep a Life List which is a list of names of every species encountered.

First, learn the major groups of birds. When you encounter a new bird, notice its Field Marks which are its shape, size, color patterns, behaviors, and sounds. Habitat and season can also provide clues to the bird’s identity. This takes practice!

Provide what birds need (water sources, food, shelter) and you will have wonderful opportunities to become familiar with common residents and also migrating songbirds. Planting California native plants will attract a wider variety of birds and other wildlife.

Recommended Orange County hotspots with high diversity of birds are San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach, Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach, and Irvine Regional Park in Irvine.

Learn how to use eBird.org which is a wonderful resource. Join a listserve like OrangeCountyBirding to receive emails about rare birds or Facebook’s Birding California.  

Come along on one of our many free guided walks and field trips. Enroll in our Beginning Birding Skills Workshop in fall with Sylvia Gallagher in Huntington Beach.

Check out National Audubon’s website section on “Getting into Birding”. Enroll in an informative on-line class with Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Closer to home is Dr. Vic Leipzig’s birding class at Saddleback College

Birders of all abilities are needed and appreciated during bird counts. Examples are the Christmas Bird Count in December/January, Great Backyard Bird Count in February, Orange County Spring Count in April/May, monthly census at various locations, endangered species counts, and more. Some are single day while others are monthly or weekly. Check out the Bird Surveys page on this website: Bird Surveys

Don’t keep your birding knowledge to yourself! Birds are facing many grave challenges these days and desperately need our help. We can ensure their survival as we increase awareness and interest in birds.