Birding 101

 

Welcome to Halifax River Audubon and our Fall bird watching class. Thanks for signing up. This web page will be your go to site for information about the class, including field trips. After each class session, presentations and class materials will be available here for review. Reference materials will be posted here and links to useful bird information on the web. 

Class  begins October 29, so I have provided info that you can review to kick start your discovery of birds and birding:)

If you have any questions, please contact me at members@halifaxriveras.org

Slides and More

Here are links to Class Slides and the field trip lists for Ponce Inlet and Lake Woodruff. I am also keeping a total list of all of the species seen by the class during our field trips. 

Slide Presentation on General Birding Information

Slide Presentation on Non-Passerine Birds

Ponce Inlet Saturday Field Trip

Ponce Inlet Sunday Field Trip

Lake Woodruff Saturday and Sunday Lists

Cumulative Class Bird List

 

Handouts Week One

Bird Orders of North America

Passerine Families in Florida

Central Florida Bird Checklist -  This checklist fits on 8 1/2 x 11 paper, two-sided. 

HRA Birds of Central Florida -  This checklist fits on 8 1/2 x 14 paper, two-sided.

Free E-book: Let’s Go Birding! From The American Birding Association

Bird Watching Basics from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission

Florida's Checklist of Birds from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission

 

Binocular Information

Choosing binoculars can be a daunting process for beginning birders and veterans alike. Past classes have had many questions about this very import tool.  Here are some links that provide information about binoculars and explain what the specifications mean to performance. We are providing these links for your information and do not endorse one brand over the other. During the field trips we will have several guides on hand that can share their experiences in finding the right binoculars.

These links are small articles about binoculars...

From Time & Optics 

Binocular Buying Guide

This link is an excellent video from Adventure Education. It's casually produced, but it covers all of the basics.

For many years a company called Eagle Optics provided a point of sale at bird festivals all across the United States. They have since closed up shop, but their excellent videos live on in YouTube. It's like a small course on Optics, with each video focusing on one aspect of binocular design.

Magnification - What do the numbers mean?

Aperture

Exit Pupil

Fit & Focus

Eye Relief

Optical Quality

Binocular Care