Bird watching provides fun, satisfaction, health, family, companionship as well as solitude. Fun is derived from the connection made with the immense beauty of nature. Man’s hunting instinct is satisfied even if the prey itself, the birds, remains unharmed. The activity gets the bird enthusiasts walking with the minimum effort since their attention is on the birds. It is able to unite people across generations as parents or grandparents get to introduce children to an interest with nature. Bird watching is an ideal social activity because of at least one birding club of some sort in every community. Bird watchers genuinely love to share their knowledge and readily welcome newcomers. In the same way that bird watching encourages companionship; it can also be an ideal solitary sport where one can have his/her mind settle down and senses open up to nature.
Once the person starts bird watching, he/she sets himself/herself on a quest. It becomes a quest for endless discovery. Backyard bird watching is fine but a real enthusiast would not forego the chance of discovering more and be happy about it. If the usual idea of a theme park vacation leaves a person more stressed out after the vacation, it is time to consider the bird watching option.
A bird watching vacation or birding tour is best done after careful planning. Planning one’s vacation would be advantageous since it can be planned around the best time and available money allowed by one’s personal circumstances. In addition, there is the freedom to choose the other activities that can be enjoyed aside from bird watching. A person intent to go on such a vacation should determine what particular type of birds he/she is interested to spot. From there, accommodations and other interests may be planned around it. The whole family can enjoy the same vacation as it allows members of the family who are not into bird watching to enjoy themselves as well. Planning a bird watching vacation is much easier after the first time. Setting up the vacation through an agency can guide one through the initial difficulties, but is not always necessary. The learning experience of the first trip will enable the bird watcher to plan consecutive trips faster and with less expense.
The first part of any bird watching adventure is familiarization with the possible destinations. Books about familiar national parks, national wildlife refuges, state parks, forests, nature reserves, research stations, deserts and other possible places where birds can be found would be very handy in making a choice. A quality field guide is likewise needed to identify the birds that are most likely to be found in such places.
Research about the chosen vacation area is a must. Every state and most cities have a department set-up for tourism which can provide ideas for lodging, accommodations and restaurants within the area. Collecting brochures and making a list of potential birds to look for will let the person know what to expect. Weather is always a concern when traveling so it is a requirement to check out the expected weather way ahead of time so that the proper clothing can be brought.
Driving to the place of destination is a common option when time is not an issue. Air travel is recommended for those who have a limited vacationing time. Once the details of the trip are settled, preparing oneself in terms of money and health concerns should be given attention to. Although no one can guarantee a trouble-free bird watching vacation or any vacation for that matter, the chances for success are always better when there is careful planning.