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RE: Getting started birding; conservation action alerts



>Anyone else have thoughts on this subject? Veteran birders, what do you
>see beginners doing wrong most often? Novices, what do you wish you'd
>started doing sooner?

I'd add one thing, whether it's viable advice or not I'll leave up to more
experienced birders' discretion... 

I'd suggest to a beginner that when they see a bird they don't know, and
they have it within view, don't go flipping through their field guide right
away trying to match a picture to it.  Chances are it'll fly away before
they find a picture anywhere close to the match anyway.  Instead, watch the
bird for as long as possible, try to retain as many characteristics as
possible, and then flip through the books after the bird has flown away, to
try to come up with a match.  Chances are they'll get to watch the bird
longer this way, and they'll start to train themselves to learn and look for
identification characteristics.

Take care, Craig Armstrong / Chapel Hill