Birding 101: Birding Without Leaving Home

0:00This is Bird Note. If you are new to birding, you might assume that you need fancy binoculars or have to venture off to some exotic places to look for birds. Truth is, you don't even have to leave your home to enjoy birds. In fact, many folks do it right from home. That's usually how we first experience birds by watching and learning the birds out the window every day. And you don't actually have to physically go anywhere to find birds. You can use a smartphone or computer to go birding. There are several websites where you can view live feeds of Nest, like the Cornell Labs feed of a red-tailed hawk nest in Ithaca, New York, or the Helgate Osprey Nest at the University of Montana. You can even have your own bird feeder camera, thanks to at-home setups like bird feed and bird buddy that allow people to watch the birds in their backyard.

1:03You can learn a lot about birds by observing their feeding habits and how they interact with other species. And then the next time someone complains that you're on your phone too much, you'll be able to tell them, hey, I'm enjoying nature. For Bird Note, I'm Johnny Franklin. Bird Note is grateful to all listeners that provide financial support for this show. You can join them at birdnote.org. If you love nature stories like we cover here on Bird Note, you'll want to add back from the brink from mutual of Omaha's wild kingdom to your rotation. Hosted by Dr. Ray Wynne Grant and Peter Gross, they share stories about species that nearly disappeared and the people working to bring them back. A recent episode, How Coffee is Bringing Songbirds Back, explores the journeys of migratory

2:04songbirds, the threats they face, and the extraordinary comeback story of the Curtlyn's Warbler. You'll also learn how shade-grown coffee farms can provide critical habitat for migratory songbirds. Follow back from the brink from mutual of Omaha's wild kingdom, wherever you get your podcast.