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Bird
Watching
Watching our feathered friends in the backcountry
©
Outdoor Adventure Canada
 The
tent is set up, your water is filtered and it's too early for
dinner, what do you do? Grab your binoculars and spend some time
looking at the local bird life. Many backcountry travelers never
take the time to do this and they miss one of nature's best shows.
Bird watching
is popular with people of all ages and activity levels. Canada
offers excellent bird watching opportunities because of a huge
variety of species ranging from the curious little chickadee to
large creatures like the owl. Common species of finches, chickadees,
blue jays and sparrows are often seen in our backyards, but you
are not likely to find a large prey bird such as the bald eagle,
osprey or peregrine falcon at your backyard bird feeder. You may
be fortunate enough to see one of these giants from your vantage
point on a lookout. Or you may have the opportunity to share your
lunch with a smaller bird such as a gray jay (whiskey jack), which
is friendly enough to land on your hand to take the bird food
you offer.
These experiences
make my trips more interesting. One year, around the middle of
May; I turned around to see what a strange buzzing noise was.
I was pleasantly surprised to see an emerald green hummingbird
flitting around the bright orange-red flashes of my backpacking
tent. It seemed a little far North for this tiny bird but he certainly
was curious about my tent.
 Bird
watching for backpackers doesn't necessarily mean carrying a lot
of extra weight; usually just a small pair of binoculars or a
good pair of eyes is all you need. I also carry a small Ziploc
of seed to share with my feathered friends. Be careful about feeding
birds with human fare such as bread. Uneaten bread can fall to
a pond bottom and cause disease that will make the birds sick
or even kill them. Some areas recommend that you do not feed any
of the wildlife, including birds because of environmental sensitivity.
It is best to find out about the region before you set off on
your trip.
When finished
setting up camp, sneak off into the woods or head for the river
bank and sit still and quiet. Gradually the forest comes alive,
and you will see many birds and other wildlife. Sometimes a comedy
unfolds as the raven tries to steal your face cloth or a tragic
ending if played out as a chipmunk is snatched from the forest
floor by a mighty hawk.
For more information
please go to www.birding.com
or www.wildbirds.com
For
more articles please view the archives.
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