Birding Resources
Tips for getting started with bird watching & ways to be involved with protecting birds and their habitats.
Where to start?
New to birdwatching? It's easy to get started!
Look and listen for birds, they are literally everywhere! While you can bird from the comfort of your home, I encourage you to get out and explore if you can.
Get out and explore. There are numerous habitats, including many birds who thrive in urban environments, so you don't have to go too far to get started. When you get comfortable with the birds in your enighborhood, get out and explore
Learn how to identify birds. This can seem overwhelming, but start with what birds are common in your area. Lots of local nature groups offer beginner birding education sessions and walks. You can also check out field guides from your library.
Technology is amazing! Merlin is probably one of the most popular birding apps around, I love using it to identify bird songs. iBird was one of the other popular apps until they switched from a one-time purchase to a subscription based service. One of the benefits of iBird is that you don't need an internet connection.
Be ethical and treat birds and nature with respect. We endorse the American Birding Association's Code for Ethical Birding.
Get involved in Citizen Science
Join Birds Canada, and be a part of a community of over 70,000 citizen scientists. There are lots of different programs that you can be a part. Some of the most popular (and the ones I participate in) are:
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Ebird Canada which is a place for you to keep track of all the birds you find, and is a great place to start exploring the world of birds around you. Users can explore photos, audio recordings and rare birds reported in Canada.
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Project Feederwatch turns your love of watching birds into scientific discoveries. The program runs November to April and is a survey of birds that visit backyards, nature centres, community greenspaces, and other locales. The schedule is completely flexible, counting birds for as long as you like, on two consecutive days. First-time participants receive instructional materials including a beautiful poster of common backyard birds.
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Christmas Bird Count is North America’s longest-running Citizen Science project. People in more than 2000 locations throughout the Western Hemisphere participate in the CBC each year. Birds Canada oversees the CBC program nationally, in partnership with National Audubon Society. The program is driven largely by volunteer effort and supporter donations. The information collected by thousands of Citizen Scientists forms one of the world’s largest sets of wildlife survey data. Effort for each circle is organized by a Compiler, who is a fellow volunteer (or team of volunteers) at the local level, often supported by a birding club or naturalist organization. The results are used by conservation biologists, environmental planners, and naturalists to assess the population trends and distribution of birds.
Conservation Links
