Are you aware that bird watching has become the number one, fastest growing, outdoor recreational quest in the world? Going out and finding our feathered friends is referred to as birding. Watching them in their native habitat is an entertaining pastime that gets you outside and allows you to be one with nature. A recent national survey concluded that birding is the most rapidly expanding entertaining past time in the United States, with a 283 percent growth in popularity over a 20 year period.

Birding as a hobby can be done with very little money spent. The biggest investment will be your time to devote to it. It is a great way to escape out into the outdoors, do some walking and to become one with nature. Birding can be extremely fun and also challenging, rigorous or relaxing, done as solitary or as a group recreation activity. It will be what you want it be for your enjoyment. That is why birding has evolved into one of America’s favorite pastimes with over 46 million people participating in it.

Things you will need are a pair of binoculars, a field guide book of birds in your area, and a notebook to take notes in. That is all you need for the basics to begin your bird watching adventure.

Click here to see a video about bird identification from Birdman Mel.