Page 70 - The Hunt - Winter 2024

(Top, from left) Cardinals, a house finch and a Northern flicker.
A tufted titmouse (above) and a red-bellied woodpecker (below).
citizen scientist.
Francis shows how he can record and access
his list of viewed birds and also be on the alert for other birders’ “hot spots,” where a rare species has been seen. “This summer, the sighting of a black- bellied whistling duck in Dover prompted a hot spot report,” Francis says.
Beyond guide books and Merlin, an avid birder will also want a good set of binoculars and possibly a camera with a telephoto lens. Mercer advises both. “So many birds are far away,” he says.
Mercer’s West Chester Bird Club is one of the best and most active organizations of its kind in the region. One of his favorite spots is the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, adjacent to Philadelphia International Airport, where as many as 20 duck species might be seen over the course of the winter. Francis suggests the trails along Brandywine Creek, Pierce’s Woods at Longwood Gardens and the Russell W. Peterson Wildlife Refuge near Wilmington.
Another good way to get started is by taking part in the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count, which runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5. Local organizations also take part, often on Christmas Day.
68 THE HUNT MAGAZINE
winter 2024-25
As with everything else in modern of fields. In essence, every birder becomes a
life, birdwatching has become easier in the digital age, especially for those who love detail. “Start with the birds you already know, ilike cardinals and bluebirds,”
says Francis. “Merlin is especially helpful for beginners.”
Apparently, there isn’t a birder alive who doesn’t have Merlin Bird ID, a free phone app created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and first released to the public in 2017. Starting with the date
and your location, Merlin utilizes its database
of more than 800 million sightings submitted from birders around the world. Then it asks about the bird’s color, size and behavior until you have your answer. The app also helps identify birds by listening to their calls through your cellphone. “Birds have their own accents—just like people,” Francis says. “Calls from the same species can vary from region to region. Part of it is learned by what a bird hears when it’s young.”
The Merlin app makes ample use of eBird. Introduced by Cornell in 2002, it keeps track of your birding experience (what you see and record), using data collected from thousands of birders as fertile ground for research in a variety