Why Go Birding?
Start the New Year Off Bright
Do you remember the first bird you saw in 2023? Perhaps you encountered an infamous Rock Pigeon dawdling along the street. Or maybe an Anna’s Hummingbird zipped by your head on its way to a nectar feeder. The first bird of the year is a special sighting for birders, a chance to start the scavenger hunt for bird species anew. A fast-growing hobby amongst younger generations, birding is the perfect way to spend more time in nature and make new friends.
Practice Self-Care and Mindfulness
Birding is a great self-care tool, as it asks us to be present in the moment as we observe. Studies show that spending just 20 minutes in nature every day can lower our stress levels and that our mood improves when birdsong is present. Taking time to be intentionally aware of birds amplifies these effects, and getting familiar with your day-to-day birds makes the world a bigger place. Birds connect us to faraway places, and many migratory birds pass through Las Vegas on their way to and from South and Central America or their breeding grounds farther north.
To Learn About Something New
Many people spend their whole lives in Las Vegas without realizing the rich bird life around them, and sometimes it takes moving to a new place to start noticing birds. That’s what happened to Brandie Frias, a local birder who studies business at UNLV.
“I grew up in Las Vegas, but I did not really pay attention to birds until after I returned from serving in the military,” she says. “I picked up the hobby while I was stationed in California. … [The] iconic, unique call of the great-tailed grackle really captured my attention here in Las Vegas because they were not as common where I was stationed. The Northern Mockingbird’s song brings back fond memories of the spring mornings of my childhood here in the valley … the biggest thing I love about birding is that it gets you out to explore areas of your city that you may not have normally explored.”
Lindsey Judd, another Las Vegas native, started birding recently in the last six months.
“I was first captivated by exotic birds; the colorful, flashy birds that you might find in the Amazon or Africa … It wasn’t until I had cultivated this love for birds that I began to notice that we have equally fascinating birds in our own backyard,” Judd explained. “I think the first local birds that really convinced me to consider our native species were raptors. It was always so exciting for me to see such a large, predatory bird in our own neighborhoods and parks.”
To Find Community
Local organizations like Red Rock Audubon Society (RRAS) offer monthly birding events throughout Las Vegas to come together and learn about birds. That’s where Melissa Marzan, who started birding during the pandemic to find respite from stress, started learning more about how diverse birds are in Las Vegas.
“The bird that got me into birding was the Say’s Phoebe,” she remembers. “I kept seeing a grey and yellow bird in my backyard. I tried to search online to find out what bird it was but soon found out that there are many grey and yellow birds in Las Vegas. [So,] I decided to look into organizations for birders and came across Red Rock Audubon […] My first RRAS event was wonderful. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and I learned so much about birding.”
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How To Start
Use An App
With over 350 bird species recorded in Clark County, there’s no shortage of species you might find or places to explore. But perhaps the best place to start birding is around your own neighborhood or workplace to finetune your bird ID skills. Get to know the common birds first and really observe them to learn their quirks and small details. Give yourself time to get to know them just as you would a new friend. Figuring out a bird species is like a puzzle, and your best starting pieces are a bird’s size and shape, habitat, field marks, and behavior.
Merlin is a bird ID app created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that shows you the most likely birds you’ll see based on your location. With pictures of each species, you can scroll until you find a bird that matches the one you’re looking at or use a step-by-step feature that asks for the size, colors, and basic behaviors of your bird. You can also press a sound ID feature, which will record birdsong and give you the closest matches, perfect for noisy little birds that dash through trees and bushes like verdins and yellow-rumped warblers.
Use a Guide
If carrying a field guide is more your style, Red Rock Audubon Society sells two foldable guides to the birds of Southern Nevada, with volume one showcasing the more frequent birds of urban parks in Las Vegas. For a more in-depth view, the Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America features 715 bird species with stunning illustrations of birds west of the Rocky Mountains. This field guide will give you detailed information about a bird’s identification features, feeding and nesting habits, range, and voice.
Consider Getting Binoculars
Binoculars are a staple in a birder’s inventory. While you don’t have to have binoculars to go birding, they help you get up close and personal with field marks like a bird’s eye color and feather patterns. The National Audubon Society has a great resource on where to begin shopping for binoculars and how to use them.
Is Birding For Me?
Anyone can go birding! There is no right or wrong way to bird. You can bird without IDing species, or you can make extensive lists of species you see. Try birding from your own backyard or balcony, or you can drive to a park farther away. You can also bird using sight or sound, alone or with a group. Everyone finds their own style of connecting with birds.
Birding has a reputation for being a predominantly white, retiree-age hobby. But birding is for everyone, no matter your age, cultural background, physical ability, or skill level. Birdability is an organization that showcases the diversity of birding experiences through education and advocacy. RRAS is also part of the Mindful Birding Network, which emphasizes the mental health benefits of slow birding.
Perhaps you don’t know your style of birding yet– that’s okay too. Just as there’s no right or wrong way to bird, there’s no right or wrong way to start birding either.
Get in Motion With Our Las Vegas Birding Community!
To make friends and accelerate your learning, consider joining a community event hosted by the Red Rock Audubon Society. They offer recurring monthly birding events around the Las Vegas Valley, including mindful birding, beginner’s birding, and Zoom lectures. Check out their calendar and follow their Instagram @redrockaudubon to stay updated on the latest events.
“I think I put off birding seriously for a while simply because I was intimidated by my lack of knowledge,” Judd says. “[…] but every single person in the birding community has been so kind, so patient, and so generous with their knowledge.”
Frias has also found community with RRAS and says, “I plan on birding with RRAS for the foreseeable future […] people have been extremely nice and want to help beginners learn, whether it’s birds or plants or other local fauna.”
For those who feel shy about joining an event, Marzan encourages them to “get out there and try one!”
“Many different people enjoy birding – different ages, professions, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences with birds – you will definitely find someone to connect with,” Marzan added. “Birders are lovely people and are so welcoming of new faces.”
Morrigan DeVito writes about natural history and conservation in Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert, with an emphasis on birds and other wildlife, plants, and water.
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