Ways To Keep Birding Fresh Without Traveling

One of the realities of being a birder is that after a few years of active birding in your state you will have seen most of the species you are going to see. If you are fortunate enough to be able to travel then there are many new species of birds around the world. Unfortunately, this may not be an option for everyone due to a variety of reasons. 

However, there are many ways to keep your birding experiences feeling fresh without traveling. Here are a couple of examples:

Get off the beaten track: If you take the time to seek out places that require a little hiking then you can do your birding in a place that is isolated and quiet. This type of setting enhance your birding experience because you may be seeing familiar birds but in a different setting. You will be able to hear the birds better and seeing them in different backdrop can alter your visual perception in a positive way.

Sit still and get closer: Sometimes I will try to find a natural blind in an area that looks appealing to birds. I sat still on a tree stump that had a pile of brush in front of it for about 20 minutes before this young Bald Eagle came in for a landing right in front of me! Watching an awesome bird like this can be much more exciting when you can observe their every move and see details that you don't normally get to see in the wild!

Choose an overlooked local park to see some first of year birds: Instead of going to one of the warbler hotspots to seek out some first of the year warblers I chose a tiny little park  just down the road (Ravine Park in Middletown) .The entire trail here is only a 2 minute walk from end to end but I was surprised to find my first of the year Palm and Black and White Warblers here! It was much more rewarding than if I drove to a proven hotspot where i would have expected to see something good or be disappointed.

So that is just a few ways I try to keep my birding experiences fresh but I know that there are numerous variations on how you can approach birding to keep things interesting.