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Health & Fitness

Bird Watching Year-Round in Temple Terrace

bird watching in Temple Terrace, especially for nonspecialists, a blog to increase appreciation of everyday birds in our suburban world

The purpose of this blog is to promote the value of bird watching in our local neighborhood of Temple Terrace.  I am not a scientist of birds, nor do I go to the fanatic extreme of the "birders" who make birding an extreme sport and delight in disturbing birds that would rather not be.  I want to increase appreciation of birds in our everyday environment and by so doing also increase appreciation of our environment as one that supports an amazing richness of bird life.  I have been keeping a notebook of bird observations for several years and will share these, while also encouraging others (you) to be alert to birds in our world and to share your sightings, questions, tips, and bird experiences with the blog.

If you are just getting started with birds or need a place to begin, I recommend the boardwalk at RiverHills Park, behind RH Elementary School.  Here you will find many large, accessible, easily identifiable birds that will immediately reward your efforts.  This location is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail (floridabirdingtrail.com) and it's easy to see why.  Along the boardwalk at the river's edge you will often see limpkins (with their long beaks probing into apple snails), several species of herons and ibis, roseate spoonbills (sometimes, esp. when the water is low), stilts, and other types of wading birds.  There is a diorama in the North American Birds Hall at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC that shows this exact scene!  And we have the real thing right here in our own backyard.      

There are lots of books on bird identification and bird watching.  Two of my favorites on the experience of "watching" are "The Life of the Skies" by Jonathan Rosen, and "Living on the Wind" by Scott Weidensaul.  They are not Florida-focused but are very well written, packed with good information, and above all exude an appreciation of birds.  Bird guides seem to be something that specialists argue about, but I've found the good old Peterson's "Field Guide to the Birds" very serviceable.  I carry one in the car at all times and have another at home for reference.  A good pair of binoculars is also helpful, but not an urgent requirement.  Many of our birds you can see quite well with the naked eye.

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I'll stop this first post now and hope for some response.  Until next time, happy birdwatching! 

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