Comments on: What makes for a good bird?

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Sat, 09 May 2009 12:30:12 +0000

Sheri: Good idea. And your guide is excellent for people who live in areas where there are multiple hummingbirds.

I was just wondering when to put up the hummingbird feeder…

By: Pedro Cardia

Pedro Cardia — Sat, 09 May 2009 11:57:07 +0000

I would add another suggestion for those whishing to learn more about a particular group of birds: try to find a library that has one of the 13 volumes (so far) of the “Handbook of the Birds of the World”. Extremely good text, wonderfull plates and amazing photos. I’m sure you won’t be disapointed and will learn a lot. I did!

Pedro

By: Sheri Williamson

Sheri Williamson — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:48:50 +0000

Excellent summary of what constitutes a "good bird" and recommendations for going beyond general field guides (for North American birders I would add the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior plus the Life Histories series by A.C. Bent for its historical value). Under the category "More Focused, Fewer Species," I would also include some of the field guides and identification guides focused on groups of related speciesâ??raptors, waterfowl, warblers, sparrows, etc. Those that go beyond identification and distribution into behavior, natural history, ecology, conservation, etc. bridge the gap between user-friendly but shallow general field guides and intimidating and impractical monographs, helping non-scientists take the next step toward a deeper understanding and appreciation of their avian neighbors. (Full disclosure: I wrote A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America in the Peterson Field Guide Series.)

By: davem

davem — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:48:59 +0000

As a hang glider and paraglider pilot, I have a different perspective.

Good birds are the ones that mark thermals, and don’t fly off when you join them. So most songbirds = bad. Woodpeckers are pure evil – they sit in trees and wake you up at 5:30 in the morning. :0)

Gulls are moderately good; they are easy to spot, and they always circle in lift, but they always fly off when you join them. Also moderately good are swifts and swallows; they mark lift low down, at take off, since they feed on insects caught in the updraughts, but they don’t circle in it, so they don’t mark the core.

Good birds = Buzzards and Eagles; they mark cores, and let you join them. The best of all are vultures. They may look ugly as sin, but they let you approach within a couple of metres. They are truly wonderful flying machines. You haven’t lived until you’ve circled to cloudbase with a vulture.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:57:10 +0000

John: Good idea. That also may provide info on accidentals.

By: John

John — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:43:27 +0000

The Birder's Handbook is excellent. I also think it's worth picking up a state breeding bird atlas (if one exists). Those can be pretty informative about breeding behaviors and local ranges.

By: Jason Thibeault

Jason Thibeault — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:32:53 +0000

Um. By target, while I’m sure you mean a target of further scrutiny, I of course mean “doing whatever’s necessary to stop the freak of nature from irritating the crap out of me.” I’m heartless.

By: Jason Thibeault

Jason Thibeault — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:30:58 +0000

If a bird anywhere near me were to start singing, say, for instance, “hello my baby, hello my darling, hello my ragtime gal”, it’s my new priority target. End of story.

That said, happy bird-hunting!