Birding during the pandemic: Basics for beginner birdwatchers in Manitoba
Number of participants in owl count has jumped during pandemic, Manitoba biologist says
They're cute. They fly. They wake you up in the morning on a weekend when all you wanted to do was sleep in.
Regardless of personal opinion, birds are part of everyday life in the Prairies — and some say getting out and birdwatching is the perfect way to pass the time during the pandemic.
"Your blood pressure is lowered, you're getting exercise, you're breathing clean, fresh air. And it lowers your stress level," said biologist Jim Duncan.
"Especially during the pandemic, we can all use a little less stress in our lives."
Duncan has been a biologist for more than 40 years. He's retired from the province's Wildlife and Fisheries Branch, and is the founder of Discover Owls, a research resource in Manitoba.
As part of Discover Owls, Duncan leads citizen science surveys — owl counts that regular Manitobans can join to help gather data about different species in the province.
At the start of the pandemic, Duncan says the number of participants in his spring owl survey rose about 20 per cent.
"I think people heard about it and recognized it was an activity they could do right in their own backyard," he said.
"So we had a kind of an influx of participants, which was kind of fun. And that was a bit of an introduction to birding for some of those folks."
For skeptics, Amanda Shave insists birdwatching is an easy hobby to pick up during COVID-19.
"Anybody who has a bird feeder in their backyard, who likes to watch the birds around them — it could just be chickadees and house sparrows … sometimes those people are already birders," said Shave, the co-ordinator for the Manitoba Important Bird Areas Program, a group that finds, monitors and protects essential places for birds in the province.
"So when they go to pick up birdwatching as a hobby, it can seem overwhelming, whereas they actually already have some of the basics."
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As a pastime, it has some advantages during a pandemic.
"It is handy that you can bird by yourself. You can bird even just from your own yard or neighbourhood. You don't have to travel far," Shave said.
"It's as complicated a hobby as you want to make it."
If you're a beginner birder, there are some specific winged friends in Manitoba that are great species to watch for on your physically distanced nature walk.
Sparrows
There are different types of sparrows in Manitoba, but Duncan has a few favourites.
"One of my favourite birds is not really the most flashy bird, but it's the little sparrow with a little red cap called the chipping sparrow," he said.
"They nest in shrubs and spruce trees in the yard, and they sound like sewing machines when you hear them calling."
American goldfinches
With a colour that's easy to spot in Manitoba's brown, white and green environments, the American goldfinch is — funny enough — a Manitoba favourite.
"Goldfinches are neat because they nest a little later in the year and they're heavily dependent on thistle seed," said Duncan.
"Later is the end of June, July — so they hang out until the thistles start to produce seeds."
Black-capped chickadee
These tiny birds are in Manitoba year-round and like to use their voices.
"Those little chickadees are so fun, so tame, so bold. They have quite a language," said Duncan, describing more than 20 calls with different meanings. Those calls are a good way for beginners to catch on to different bird sounds.
"Some of the songs are pretty easy to learn, and once you learn a couple of key songs, then you can hear birds and know they're around without seeing them," he said.
"And it's one of the few small birds that can actually live quite long — 18 years, some of them."
Robins
These birds are easy to find, said Duncan.
"To learn behaviour, you can watch robins, which love to live around where people live because they're kind of protected from some of the potential threats," he said.
"You don't have to learn the bewildering array of bird species that call Manitoba home. You can focus on a few initially, and just learn the difference between males and females, their songs, their behaviour."
Owls
There are more than 10 different species of owls, according to the online Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Manitoba. The birds have generated plenty of Duncan's research, and are his favourite to study.
"Owls are, I find, fascinating because there is so little known about them.… Not everybody wants to stay up all night studying them, or they're hard to find," he said.
"That challenge to me was irresistible."
Duncan suggests signing up for an owl survey if you'd like to learn more about the birds, some of which you can find on the Discover Owls website.
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