limekiln canyon christmas bird count group

Guides

Getting into the hobby of birding

Many people have a “spark bird” that piques their interest in birds. This could be the ducks you fed at the pond, a cool bird that visited your yard, or anything that made you stop and think. Birdwatching or ’birding’ is a welcoming hobby for people of all ages.

EOS R6 and 1.4 teleconverter

Guides

My Gear Setup for Bird Photography

I spent my first nine years as a hobby photographer with my original Canon camera setup, a Rebel T5i and EF 400mm lens. Earlier this year I upgraded my equipment to Canon’s mirrorless lineup and RF lens line. I‘m not a spec expert, but I’ll share why I selected each piece and what I appreciate.

Guides

How to Start a Bird Blog

Have birds or the hobby of birdwatching inspired you? When I started really getting into birds, I had a lot of creativity looking for an outlet, some of it came through photography, and some of it came through writing. This blog post talks mainly about your blogging platform options and what to think about when starting a new bird blog.

Guides

Always check that speck

When birding or going about your day, sometimes you’ll see a small speck of color or a bird off in the distance. You may ask yourself, is that a piece of garbage, a common bird, or something else entirely?

leading a bird walk at the park

Guides

How to get people interested in birdwatching

“I only ever see pigeons, crows, or sparrows…”

I’ve heard this common experience from many friends and family. As an avid birdwatcher for the last ten years, I wear my hobbies on my sleeve.

shotgun microphone setup with iphone

Guides

Using a shotgun mic with an iPhone to record birds

I’ve used my existing microphone setup with a dedicated recorder since I picked up the equipment. While taking an online course on How to Record Bird Sounds, one of the setups they showed in the video utilized an external microphone connected to an iPhone running Merlin.