The 'spot'

When trawling through guides on how to become a birder (wading through advice ranging from buying a ton of expensive gear to putting up feeders in your garden- not much use as I am both poor and live in a flat), one piece of advice stood out: find a spot.

Basically, this means finding a spot and regularly going birding there. The spot could be your garden, a local pond, a local park or anywhere birds tend to gather. The idea is that if you repetitively bird in one area, you will get used to identifying that set of birds and get comfortable with the identification process.

I liked this idea, and after some thought, I settled on a spot. There is a really nice stretch of river near where I live, and nestled near a carpark, some kind soul has placed a few bird feeders. I have visited the spot 5 or so times so far, and the feeders are always half full, and there are always lots of birds. Facing the bird feeders are some picnic benches, perfect for a flask of tea while I bird.

Photo taken through my binoculars with my phone

So far at the spot, I've watched: blue tits, great tits, coal tits, long tailed tits (very exciting to me!), robins, blackbirds, chaffinches, bullfinches and of course, my favourite, nuthatches. 

Initially, chaffinches confused me (especially the females) and I had no idea what the coal tits were. BUT after practice, I now know the sound of the great tit (a friend described it as pumping up tires), and it's characteristic black tie. I have learnt to look for the coal tits white head patch. I finally can identify both female and male chaffinches without forgetting the name. 

The best thing about finding 'a spot' was not only the birds I spotted, but also removing the stress of having to think about where to go. It allows an effortless option for a quick birding relax. 
It also proves that you definitely do not need a garden too start birding :)

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