Gathering Facts
Providing birds with safe structures to live gives humans the opportunity to observe and study their behavior. This helps everyone to better understand the great outdoors and how people and wildlife can live together.
Backyard Scientist
Observation and fact gathering is easy. A common notebook with pages that have blank ledger lines will get you started recording basic information about birdlife in your local neighborhood. Anyone who loves nature can do it, and you don't need to be an expert or scientist. All you need is your backyard, a birdhouse, a pen, something to write on,.. and that's it. You're on you way to becoming a "backyard scientist!"
Eary Observers
Florence Merriam Bailey was a writer and bird watcher in the 1800s. At the age of 26, she wrote the first modern bird watching field guide entitled "Birds Through An Opera-Glass." Published in 1863, it was an illustrated guide to recognizing 70 wild species of birds. It was written for all bird-lovers of that era. Her approach to watching birds through a magnification device evolved into what we are familiar with today - the modern bird-watching method of using binoculars.
Inspired by their love of birds, and concerned about the slaughter of waterbirds, Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall lead the way in conservationism in the early 1900s. The two Boston environmentalists organized the the first Audubon Society in 1905 in response to widespread harvesting of birds feathers. Their efforts helped inspire similar organizations across the country to help and preserve our beautiful avian wildlife.
Swoop Paths and Fact Gathering
A swoop path will help in the process of fact gathering. How? It's easy to identify a swoop-path, as they are simple flight patterns used by most birds. They consist of a short flying distance from a birdhouse to the ground, and then back again. It's established from the repetitive back-and-forth action of a motherbird when she flys from a birdhouse to the ground, and then back up to the birdhouse again. When you see birds using a swoop path, get ready to see your favorite birds in action. It's fun to observe and learn from birds by observing their unique behavior somewhere in your local neighborhood, like a city park, and even your backyard.
The Color "Red"
Have you ever wondered how hummingbirds find nectar feeders so easily? Hummingbirds use their exceptional eyesight to find various food sources, including large amounts of insects. Nectar feeders are on their radar too, and easy for them to find due to the typical red top and base of the nectar reservoir. Not all nectar feeders are created the same, however, the color red is a common color for traditional nectar feeders sold in stores.
Swoop-paths are used by many species of birds, including hummingbirds. These amazing creatures not only ingest the sweet stuff (like nectar), but also protein! They do this because the hummingbirds metabolism is constantly burning energy and in need of frequent replenishment. They eat well over their own body weight every day to survive. Once they find their favorite red nectar feeder, they will commonly use a swoop-path pattern to fly back and forth from a tree branch to the nectar feeder.
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