Don't Just Wing It: Here's Everything You Need to Start Birding

As a New Yorker, I’ve decided that I’d like more summer hobbies outside of going to my local dive and ordering Taj Kabab King at midnight.While both are admirable pursuits, it would also be nice to do stuff that doesn’t keep me on vampire time, won’t cost a lot of money, and could maybe even bring me into nature. That’s where bird watching (a.k.a. “birding” or ”twitching”) swoops in on eagle’s wings. Look around you! The birds are just out there giving us land-dwellers a show for free. And while a lot of city wildlife gets vilified (don’t get me started on the modern injustices against gorgeous pigeons), I think everyone can agree that there’s nothing as wholesome, soul-fulling, and Enya-core as chasing birdsong. 

Birding is for the people, because “you don’t need years of practice to be a birder—you just need to notice birds, even if you don’t know how to identify a single one when you start out,” explains NYC-based birder Martha Harbison, who helps lead the weekend birding tours at Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG). “As of July 2022, birders have reported 180 species of birds at [BBG],” adds Harbison’s fellow birding tour guide, Indigo Goodson; “One of the things I love about birding at BBG is that you can really take your time to sit in one place and let the birds come to you.” See? You don’t even have to move around a bunch to start birding—you can just hard chill on a log with your Takis and binoculars until a woodpecker pulls up. 

Harbison and Goodson kindly let VICE pick their brains about what birding can look like in the big city, and gave us a few recs for some of the best gear, books, and birding practices for n00bs and seasoned ornithologists alike. So fasten your Tevas, and let’s learn more about how to (respectfully) commune with nature’s best DJs. 

“[A]n expert birder is really just noticing birds,” Harbison says. “They’re just operating on a different level of noticing, based on years of practice and experience.” Harbison began birding as a kid, with their birding parents, and actually flew solo for a long time as an adult birder. “The local birding community at the time felt very weird and competitive and judgmental,” they explain. “But [then] I met many of the people involved with Feminist Bird Club, and with them I found a supportive, queer-centered birding community.” Goodson agrees, saying that while “birding can be intense, emotional, and competitive, [it] can also be passive, calm, and healing.” The choice is yours. 

For complete birding newbies, both Harbison and Goodson suggest This Is a Book for People Who Love Birds by Danielle Belleny. “[It] provides a brief history of birds, birding, and information on a selected group of birds in North America with beautiful illustrations,” Goodson says.

Harbison also recommends A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching (be still, my heart) by Rosemary Mosco, while Goodson recommends The Backyard Guide to the Birds of North America, written for National Geographic by Jonathan Alderfer and Paul Hess. If you’re on the East Coast, they suggest snagging Sibley Birds East by David Allen Sibley.

If you want to start identifying birds, Harbison also recommends finding field guides for your specific area. For the United States and Canada, they also stan the Sibley guides to North American birds, and Kaufman’s Field Guide to the Birds of North America. “The American Birding Association publishes field guides to various U.S. states,” they add, “and those are great as well.”

First things first: Don’t encroach on a bird’s life. How would you like it if someone got up in your business when you were trying to raise your hatchlings, go grocery shopping, socialize, or look for mates? Keep your distance, use common sense, and peep the American Birding Association Code of Birding Ethics. “Recognize that you are part of nature’s huge, complex, interconnected system, not separate from it.” Harbison explains. “ And don’t worry if there are days when you don’t see any birbs. Just “be open to the world around you, [and enjoy the] sights and sounds and smells.” 

One of the best things about birding is you can just use your natural senses for free. “But if you want to get good, detailed looks at birds,” Harbison explains, “then a solid pair of binoculars will pay off. Don’t bother with those tiny opera glasses or with really cheap binoculars. They actually make it harder to see birds and you’ll end up frustrated. Goodson recommends  Vortex, Zeiss, and Nikon as “good binocular brands to consider.”

Harbison also recommends the Nikon ProStaff 3S 8x42 for beginners, and says that the floor in terms of price for new, quality binoculars is usually between $95 and $120. They also recommend the Kowa YF II 8x30, Celestron Nature DX 8x42, and (for non-eyeglass wearers) the Nocs 8x25.

You can also use free smartphone apps such as Merlin or Audubon to identify the birds around you. “Apps are great because you can learn how to ID birds by their songs,” Harbison says. “Once you start recognizing birdsong, you start realizing just how many different birds are around you each and every day.” And don’t forget to protect your peepers. “Get a hat that will shield your eyes on sunny days and a buff to protect your neck,” they say. “Invest in a water bottle—you’re always going to stay out birding longer than you intended, so keep hydrated!” 

Remember: When birding, you could be waiting in silence for a long time. “It’s important to think about comfort and sustainability,” Goodson says. “This can mean shoes that are comfortable for long wear and good on various terrain.” 

Harbison says that while beginner birders don’t need expensive equipment, at some point they might want to really commit to the hobby. “Two big-ticket items that can definitely improve your birding experience are a spotting scope (you will also need to buy a tripod) and, if you like photography, a high-end camera and lens.” Harbison uses a Maven S.1A spotting scope with a Manfrotto carbon-fiber tripod, but also really likes the Kowa TSN-880 spotting scope. “The camera market is impossible to condense into a sentence,” they say, “but if you want to photograph birds well, you will need at least a 100mm-400mm zoom lens [and] camera body (or a 400mm prime lens), or a bridge camera with superzoom.”

Birders at BBG have reported spotting  Great Blue Herons, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Chimney Swifts, Yellow Warblers, Song Sparrows,Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and others during the warmer months, according to Harbison. “The many water sources at BBG [also] provide a place for birds to bathe, drink, and hunt for fish,” Goodson says. “The variety of plant species are a valuable food source for birds as well.” 

BBG is a very precious place for New Yorkers (my dual annual membership is 80% of my personality), but there are hundreds of botanic gardens to explore across the United States. Just don’t forget that you could be in the thick of nature, chilling in a park, or waiting for the bus, and still be birding hard.

Happy watching, bird lovers.

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