Resolution Research was lucky enough to catch up with two birders who are panelists on ResolutionPanel, our paid market research panel, to talk about their experiences.
We first spoke with Tami, a “casual birder,” who enjoys birding in her own backyard across from beautiful Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York State.
Resolution Research (RR): How did you get started in birding?
Tami: I started bird watching when I was growing up, as I suspect a number of people do. My mother and grandmother always had bird feeders and would identify the birds that came to the feeder, initially the first Robin in the spring, the Red Wing Blackbirds, and the Goldfinches. As an adult, I enjoy having feeders and identifying the birds that show up in my yard.
RR: Do you use one guide or multiple guides?
Tami: We use two guides consistently to identify birds in our area — Birds of North America and Birds of the Northeast. I think that both are pretty great resources. We use them in both printed form and online. In addition, we have birding lists that we keep to track which birds we’ve identified in our yard, which is always fun to see how many different kinds of birds share their habitat with us!
RR: What are the best places to go birding for you?
Tami: We have great birding right in our own neighborhood on Keuka Lake. Plus, there are numerous bird sanctuaries and types of birds in this area so we’re always entertained.
RR: You’d mentioned that you use binoculars for viewing. What do you generally look for in a birding binocular?
Tami: We have two different sets of binoculars which are different sizes. One pair is a smaller to carry easily when we travel and the other is a much bigger set, which we use in our back yard. On both pairs, we’re able to zoom in quickly as some birds can be very shy and skittish and we don’t want to miss them! Plus they’re great for distance sighting too as we want to be able to see what’s flying high above.
RR: What are some nuances of birding most people wouldn’t think of?
Tami: Well, there’s nothing more exciting than seeing a rare bird in your back yard! I love the friendly chickadee…you can put seed in your hand and they will come eat out of your hand! And we now have a pair of bald eagles that live nearby and it’s breathtaking to watch them soar overhead. They’ve built a nest in the spring and we look forward to seeing baby eaglets soon! Another thing for us that’s quite interesting when birding is watching their relationships with other birds and animals like deer, squirrels, & chipmunks… very fun to watch!
We also spoke to Roger, a “naturalist” in birding terms, who especially enjoys hummingbirds and has been all over the US viewing amazing birds.
RR: How long have you been a birder?
Roger: I’ve been a bird-watcher my whole life.
RR: What kind of birds do you enjoy watching?
Roger: I’m a hummingbird fanatic – any kind of hummingbird is a joy and fascinating to see. See a picture below from my mom’s porch!
RR: What are a few of the places you’ve been birding?
Roger: I was recently up in Colorado Springs, Colorado for about six days. They have enchanting, beautiful hummingbirds! I have also been bird watching in Cortez, Colorado where they host the fabulous Ute Mountain – Mesa Birding Festival as well as birding in the Grand Canyon where we’ve seen Condor occasionally fly over! Another favorite that’s close to my home near Sherman, Texas, is the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a refuge by the Red River that covers about 4,000 acres and provides a tremendous amount of bird watching. In fact, the refuge’s primary function is to feed the geese migrating from Canada (Canadian geese, Snow geese, Lesser geese) to the South. Hagerman Refuge doesn’t allow any geese hunting which helps protect the nearly 14,000 birds there! I’ve seen all types of birds there including Wood Ducks, Redheads, Pintails, Gadwalls, Mallards, Shovelbills, Warblers and more.
RR: Any birding stories you’d like to share?
Roger: My mother always put out hummingbird feeders on the front porch. Currently there are three hummingbird feeders, which she must refill with about a gallon of hummingbird nectar every two days! She’s primarily had about 16 Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds for about 35 years! At one point, they actually had eight feeders which drew so many hummingbirds that my parents and another couple would just sit and count hummingbirds. They’re hard to count because they’re so fast and agile plus they’re the only birds that fly backward. Anyway, at one point they counted 48 birds at one time!
RR: Thank you for sharing your birding story with us, Roger!
Roger: Thank you and good luck on your birding & hunting study. I used to be an avid hunter who used scopes, but gave that up about 20 years ago and starting using bow and arrow to make hunting more challenging. But honestly, I love birding the most!
Are you a birder or a hunter?
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