Birding in the Backyard (BBY): City Birds
No fuss no muss... :-)
When somebody says that they “went birding,” most people think that they:
- headed into the woods, or
- hiked out onto the marsh, or
- drove to a distant destination,
before before they could “see something interesting.”
We are here to state categorically that that is NOT TRUE. Beautiful, interesting birds are EVERYWHERE, all over the city, and many times just in the backyard!
We spent this past entire Sunday in the RainyDay backyard in Boston and we proved ourselves right in this regard.
Birds – oh they’re there, alright.
Birding in the backyard in the city is nice because city birds are NOT shy. They:
- are used to noises,
- will stand their ground, and
- are not easily spooked.
So getting great closeup shots of them is a lot easier than their more jittery country cousins.
BBY Gear
No special gear is required for BBY-ing, but a good pair of binoculars/camera with a long-@ss zoom lens and the Merlin app will enhance the experience enormously.
The camera+lens, the tripod, and the arm sleeves that keep the sharp leaves/bitey bugs from interfering with our enjoying our BBY experience.
In our case, we had the following:
- Nikon D850 camera w/ Nikkor 200-500mm zoom
- Big sturdy tripod
- Farmers Defense arm sleeve
- Merlin Bird ID app
We used the camera with the long lens on a tripod because:
- we were in the backyard,
- it wasn’t a big deal to lug it outside, and
- we could leave it set up without worrying about it.
We used the Farmers Defense arm sleeve because the camo nylon sleeves are good for blending in even in the backyard, as well as a bit of wind protection on a windy May day.
Downy Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers are easy to spot when they are around. They make a lot of noise with their hammering pecking! Getting a sharp shot of one when it is banging its head against the tree is a little hard (geddit?), so for a clear shot…wait until they pause for a break 🙂
Eye spy with my little eye…every single thing that is happening.
Bopping up the tree to the perfect spot for woodpecker hammering.
Cardinals and Blue Jays
Cardinals and Blue Jays are two easily spotted/extremely colorful backyard birds. Both are big, loud, and easy to identify. Both birds land on branches and the ground, so there are POOs (Plethora Of Opportunities) to get excellent closeups of them once they are in range.
Seriously, we could watch these guys all day.
Robins
Like pigeons, robins are everywhere in the city. Unlike pigeons, robins are thought of fondly as they are often referred to as the harbinger of Spring. Getting a good shot of them is relatively easy.
A little Robinical side-eye, basically saying, “Dude, I’m here. Let’s harbing the cr@p outta Spring!”
On this weekend, we had planned a DIY project: fix the divider between our unit and our neighbor. BUT, as nature would have it, closer inspection yesterday revealed a lovely little robin’s nest inside the space of the dislodged planks! Fortunately, that fits in perfectly with our plan for this Backyard Birding post!
A teeny-tiny egg, in a tiny nest, with a mama sitting on it who would peck your eye out if you came too close.
It always feels like such a privilege when birds choose to nest in our garden; we feel obligated to not disturb them and honored that they chose our space.
Also, it gives us a—wait for it—bird’s eye view of the bird world and allows us to watch every single thing they do. (You don’t ever believe seasoned birders when they tell you this, but watching the comings and goings of the birds you see every day is fascinating and, well, awe-inspiring.)
Here’s looking at you, madame lady birdy robin mama-in-waiting.
Bunnies
OK. Technically, bunnies are not birds, but they were out and about so we included them in the post 🙂 Besides…bunnies!!! Nobody can say “no” to bunnies 🙂
“Why yes, I am an Eastern Cottontail rabbit. Also, I am adorbs from every angle.”
1. Hiding. 2. Hiding somewhere else. 3. Not hiding. 4. Not hiding somewhere else.
FinalThoughts
We hope RainyDayReaders agree that there are a lot of advantages to Backyard Birding. There are plenty of birds to see, listen for, and photograph…all without having to go anywhere or lug gear around. We could go inside when we got cold or tired (which we never did because birds/bunnies), have a snack or a nap (which we did but are not telling you which one), and then step back out and pick up where we left off, all without any fuss or muss.
Since we got lucky and found an active nest, we’ll be doing a lot of Backyard Birding the next few weeks. Say tuned! Tweet-tweet!
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