88.2 % Of Birders Suffer From Birding Boredom

It has been determined that 88.2% of birders suffer from birding boredom at some point during the year. During these periods of boredom, even the brilliant beauty of an Eastern Bluebird can be taken for granted. For me, It's usually after the excitement of Spring migration is over during the dog days of summer that I'm bitten by the birding- boredom bug. A lot of it has to do with humid conditions and excessive green foliage that make for less than pleasant conditions for active bird watching. 

Here are a few things that I do this time of the year that help to offset my birding blahs:

• Birding near the shoreline: It's a great way to get away from the overgrown weedy fields and leafy forest trees. You get open views, cool breezes, and a nice variety of bird species at the shore during the summer. If you go early then you can avoid the beach crowds and a seafood restaurant is probably just around the corner!
• Mixing your birding in with summer events: Birding doesn't always have to be front and center. I look forward to checking out summer concerts and events. Before, during, or after the event I look for birds near or at the location the event is taking place.
• It's a good time to scout new locations: There are so many preserves and trails around that I don't get to during spring migration. Summer is a good time to check out new locations to see if they have any potential as a birding spot.You might even have an unexpected sighting of a rare bird species!
• Yardbirds: I find it rewarding to take a break from birding to do a little yardwork. After the work is done  you can sit back with your binoculars, camera, and a cool refreshing drink to see what the birds in your own neighborhood are up to.
• Leave the binoculars behind and grab the camera: It's a nice change to  hunt for birds with a camera without the weight of binoculars hanging around my neck.I still keep the binoculars within reach just in case though.
• Take a break from birding: I'm a person of habits and it's hard for me to go the whole weekend without doing some sort of birding but I think it's healthy to take a break from it once in a great while. Taking that break helps me build an appetite to go birding the following weekend.
• Reading books at the library or computer birding: If the weather is ridiculously hot then I find it's a good time to go to an air-conditioned location such as the library. I can catch up on reading birding blogs or check out some new books on birding at the library.

 Those are just a few suggestions but the main point is that if you find that you are one of the 88.2% of birders who have suffered from birding boredom then it may be time to mix it up a little. So where did I come up with my statistics you might ask? Well, there's a 99.3%  chance that I might have made them up.