Enhancing your birding experience

There are a few techniques that can be employed by bird watchers to ensure that their birding experience is enhanced to the fullest. Birding has become an increasing popular past time for people of all age groups and therefore there are numerous information resources available that can help to increase your birding experience. Before you employ the techniques that enhance your birding there are a few essential items that every bird watchers should keep at hand. The essential items for your birding activities include binoculars of high quality and a comprehensive field guide. A quality camera to record your sightings is an added bonus especially in our digital age. Some bird watchers also make use of a notebook to record all their sightings and to make notes of the various birds that they see.

Birding techniques that one should employ

The most important thing to remember when you embark on a birding expedition is that you are a guest in nature. You as a bird watcher are simply there to observe even though birding can release the primal instincts associated with hunting. The difference is that birding allows the birds only to be observed and to leave entirely unharmed. The other thing to remember is that birds are delicate creatures and that they are easily frightened therefore if you approach a bird and its head is cocked or its wing is up either stand still until the bird has calmed or move away slowly. You should not attempt to disturb any part of nature to enhance your birding experience.

It is important that when you spot a bird during your birding expedition that you take all the details of the bird in before you attempt to flip through your field guide. Keep your eye on the bird and you might avoid the chance of the bird flying away before you have a chance to identify the bird or before you have the chance of photographically recording your sighting. It is important that you take in all the aspects of the bird such as its markings, colour, call, movements and feeding habits before the bird dashes off. It is important that you also get a general feel for the size of the bird as well as the shape of the bird and its feet. Observation of the colour of the beak and feet is also important for the identification process during your birding experience. This complete description or feel of the bird is called the giss in birding language. Giss stands for General impression, shape and size and is very important in the correct identification of the species in question.

The perfect location for successful birding

If you are tired of the same birding locations then it may be time to get a new destination or go on a birding vacation. A place such as Thaba Phuti, which is situated just south of the Magaliesburg Mountains, is the ideal location. Thaba Phuti is an exclusive luxury game lodge that caters for individual wishing to experience the wonders of nature on a luxurious setting. Thaba Phuti also offers all their guests the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of birding from the comfort and convenience of a private balcony. Thaba Phuti gives birding an entirely new meaning as you no longer need to go to the birds; the birds come to you.