Get started in bird watching in own backyard

  There are millions of bird watchers in the U.S. today, with many adults joining the National Audubon Society's Bird Club and children joining its junior membership club. The Boy and Girl Scouts of America also have good bird-watching programs. However, you don't have to belong to a bird club to be an avid bird watcher.

  What do you need to be a bird watcher in Yuma? Here is a list to help you get started.

  • A bird feeder for the local birds and wild bird seed

  • A container for water or a birdbath

  • A birdhouse for any birds who choose to live in your rent-free home

  • A pair of good binoculars for distance viewing 7x42

  • A bird field guide with pictures and facts about Southwest birds (Roger Tory Peterson field guides are popular).

  • A notebook to record your sightings (type of bird, date and time seen, location or habitat where seen, weather, how many birds and behavior of the bird)

  • A love of birds and a lot of patience

  Once you are equipped and your yard has food and water to attract birds, you are ready to sit back and wait for your bird friends to visit. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to observe during the hotter months. Once the days become cooler in Yuma, birds will flock to your water and feed at all times of the day.

  Hopefully, you have a window which allows you to keep an eye on your yard. If the birds don't see you, they will stay longer and you will be able to observe them easier.

  If you want to attract hummingbirds, purchase a hummingbird feeder, fill it with a simple syrup solution made by heating 2 cups water and 1/2 cup sugar until the sugar dissolves. You don't need to add food coloring to the syrup if your feeder is a red color.

  To attract doves, grackles, sparrows, finches and other small birds, you can make your own bird feeder. It is a cheap and easy one to make.

  For this feeder you will need a cardboard half-gallon milk or juice container, rinsed out; sharp knife or box-cutter; spray paint; an ice pick or other sharp-pointed tool; wire, cord or fishing line to hang the feeder.

  To assemble the feeder, use the box-cutter and cut large rectangles on three of the sides of the carton, leaving one-inch borders along all the sides, except the bottom one. Leave the bottom border about two inches high to hold the bird seed in your feeder.

  Spray paint the outside of the feeder your favorite color. Because the cardboard container is wax coated, you can leave the container unpainted and it will be weather resistant.

  When the paint is dry, use an ice pick to poke a hole on each side of the peaked roof, try to keep the holes in the middle of the roof so it hangs straight. Determine how far down you wish to hang your feeder. Cut wire, cord, or fishing line to the correct length and push it through the two holes in the roof and tie the ends.

  Hang your new feeder from a branch or your patio roof. Add a rock to the bottom of the feeder to help stabilize it in the wind. Add bird seed. Now you are ready to welcome your new bird friends.

  As a beginning bird watcher, learning to recognize the common bird species in your yard will enable you to venture further from home and identify new birds in new habitats later on. From the convenience of your home, you can become comfortable using your binoculars and can practice identifying birds that visit. Having a chair to sit in and a table or lapboard to use when writing in your notebook is also a plus for beginners.

  Be careful, though. You will find that adding new birds to your notebook can become addicting, and soon you will be taking trips to view new birds in other habitats.

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Georgia Bolton is a member of Yuma Garden Club and one of the volunteer writers this summer. She can be reached at 726-6584.