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The Rules of Birdwatching
I don’t make ‘em
2 min readOct 3, 2021
- Always take your binoculars.
- Pareidolia is a powerful thing. Everything looks like a bird, including a foraging goat*, guano on a rock**, and rescue helicopters***. Make sure you’re actually watching a bird before loudly and confidently informing other people of your find. (*Australian Bustard; ** Little Pied Cormorant; *** White-bellied Sea-eagle.)
- After driving 500 kilometres and then trudging for hours through dense bush/merciless desert/rugged mountains, the rare and elusive birds you were looking for will be disporting themselves within a metre of your car.
- In fact, the largest number of birds on any trip will be spotted around the car as you’re trying to leave. The more urgent your departure, the more species will turn up. At some point, you will have to make a decision. It will be the wrong one.
- If you don’t take your camera, you will see interesting species, possibly lifers and/or rare vagrants.
- If you do take your camera, you’ll have the wrong lens.
- If you do have the right lens, you’ll have the wrong settings. This one is fixable.
- If you see birds while you’re driving, there will be nowhere to pull over safely. Just let it go.
- Check every bird. Don’t just…
