Pete Dunne on Bird Watching: The How-To, Where-To, Where-To, and When-To of Birding - Softcover

PETE DUNNE is the author of eleven books, including Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion and Pete Dunne on Bird Watching. He is the vice president of the New Jersey Audubon Society and director of its Cape May Bird Observatory.

Introduction

Every Monday, 7:30 A.M., South Cape May
The parking lot had ten cars in it—about average for a Monday in early July.
Come September, when bird migration runs full bore and birders are
packing Cape May motels, the lot is full.
I parked in a spot that promised shade. Reached for the
binoculars that live under the driver"s seat. Extracted myself from the car,
exhumed my spotting scope from the trunk, then paused, filtering the world
through senses refined by more than forty years of birding.
The silhouette on the utility line belonged to the local
mockingbird. My ears told me he was running through his standard repertoire
(which even by mockingbird standards was considerable).
Audio reconnaissance also detected the spiraling yodel of a
descending yellowlegs, a migrating shorebird, and the silver-toned call
notes of Bobolinks migrating high overhead.
All the signs suggested a good day"s birding, maybe even a great
day"s birding. Every morning I wake up carries this potential.
"Good morning," I said to the semicircle of faces. "I"m director of
New Jersey Audubon Society"s Cape May Bird Observatory. You have very
cleverly positioned yourself at the crossroads of migration at the junction of
three seasons."
I paused, allowing time for this disclosure to sink in. When most
people think of bird migration, they focus upon the peak congestion periods
in the spring and fall. The fact is that over much of North America birds are
shifting constantly—from north to south, south to north, interior to coast,
higher elevation to lower; from places with exhausted resources to places
offering birds greater opportunity.
What this means for people who watch birds is that every trip
afield is a treasure hunt with endless possibilities. Making the most of
these opportunities is a matter of getting the right equipment, putting yourself
in fortune"s path, and learning how and where to look.
Topics which are, not coincidentally, central to this book.
Assisting me on my morning walk were two of Cape May Bird
Observatory"s associate naturalists. Tom Parsons, a retired professor of
vertebrate biology, has been a birder all his life. Bill Glaser, a former
engraver, took up birding after retirement. Together they make a wonderfully
balanced team and a good point: shared interest, not experience, is the
common denominator in birding. It truly doesn"t matter if you started birding
yesterday, last year, or before field guides were invented. All birders, no
matter what their skill level, are drawn to the same thing: the excitement, the
challenge, and the pleasure that comes from watching birds. And all birders
are eager to share their knowledge with others, an ethic that is fundamental
to field trips and, as you will discover, this book.
I resumed my litany, explaining to regulars and newcomers alike
what we were about to do, how long we would be about it, and what special
birds of the season we were likely to encounter. As I spoke, I tried to gauge
the skill levels of my listeners, to discern who might need extra attention or
guidance. It seemed a pretty eclectic group.
Several individuals armed with high-quality, well-used binoculars
were evidently serious birders who knew Cape May"s fame and had
probably come with a shopping list of species they hoped to see.
Most of the members of the group, however, looked more casually
interested in birds. Several were carrying bird guides that might have been
useful for back-yard bird watching but whose deficiencies made them more
hindrance than help in the field. Even people who are casual about birding
shouldn"t be frustrated by it. I made a mental note to engage them during
the walk and recommend a more field-worthy guide.
Far too many individuals were armed with binoculars that wouldn"t
pass muster—gimmick-ridden instruments that were too large, too small, or
too poorly designed to be useful in the birding arena. We"d replace these
with instruments from our arsenal of well-chosen loaners.
There were also a number of people, including a family of four,
who were clearly beginners. The birds, the names, the skills, the etiquette,
the very process of seeing a bird critically, noting distinguishing
characteristics, and finding its likeness in a book, would be new to them.
This process, which binds a bird with its name, is replicated in
this book. While the information in this book is intended to serve birders of
all interests and skill levels, it has been organized to follow the developmental
stages that birders go through as their interest develops and their horizons
expand.
Must you read this book just to go out and look at birds? No. You
can do what I did at the age of seven. Grab binoculars. Run out the back
door. Start peering into the trees.
But you will discover (if you have not already) that there is a vast
difference between looking for birds and finding them. While looking is fun,
finding is more fun. And being able to identify what you find is the most fun
of all. If forty years ago I had had this book, I would have found a good many
more birds, been frustrated a good deal less, and been a better birder for it
today.
I also would have devoured this book. Because it answers many
of the questions I faced in my early efforts to become a better field birder—
the same questions birders face today.
"Any questions?" I asked the group.
There were none, yet, but over the course of the next two hours
there would be many.
The mockingbird (who had never stopping singing) offered a more
than passable rendition of a flicker"s call . . . then Killdeer . . . then a
Carolina Wren. . . . Out of a cotton and cobalt sky the piped whistle of a high-
flying Osprey drifted to earth, and beyond the dunes a string of Brown
Pelicans lofted into momentary view, then disappeared.
It sure was shaping up to be a good day. Maybe even a great one.
"Okay," I said, "let"s go birding."
—September 2002

Copyright © 2003 by Pete Dunne. Reprinted by permission of Houghton
Mifflin Company.