Keeping a record
If you’re new to watching wildlife, then the very idea of keeping notes or even a diary might seem too much like hard work. If that’s how you feel, then fine. It isn’t compulsory and, if work or family pressures mean that you don’t have all that much time to get out in the field, you might prefer to spend that time watching wildlife rather than writing about it.
On the other hand, taking a few notes of what you see doesn’t take that much extra time and has several advantages:
You might also decide that you want to keep a wildlife diary; something that you write up at home after a day out at a reserve, say, or other trip. Other diaries you can keep can include the wildlife you see in your garden or at your local patch, building up a portrait of the year’s wildlife sightings. Either buy a desk diary (wait until the end of January when they are sold off at half price!), or just use a large notebook and add your own dates.
Write as much or as little as you want. Some people make long, formal lists of species, others simply jot down their memories of the day. This is your diary, so make it something you will treasure when looking back and re-reading it in years to come. Some birdwatchers have notebooks going back more than half a century, enabling them to follow their progress from early childhood to maturity and old age; a tremendously satisfying personal record.
Notebooks and diaries also have another purpose: recording the changes in your local wildlife over periods of time. As you write up your sightings from year to year, this will allow you to notice any changes that occur: such as the first date in spring you saw primroses in the nearby wood, or the last date in autumn there were house martins over your home.
Bill's top tips
_ Writing when outdoors can be difficult, especially if it’s windy or raining, or your hands are beginning to freeze. Some people take notes using a small hand-held tape recorder. It’s much easier, and you don’t have to take your eye off the creature you’re looking at.
_ One of the great joys of keeping notes is that they will bring back memories – hopefully happy ones – of days in the field. You don’t need to add loads of detail, but it is helpful to write down things that will jog your memory. So rather than writing, ‘Barn owl – 1’, why not add something to help you recall the experience, perhaps even years later? You could write, for example, ‘A barn owl flew right past us as we were walking back to the car park – a lovely sight as it went past on silent wings like a ghost’
Such simple records, kept over several decades by amateur wildlife watchers, have proved to be an unexpected asset for scientists investigating the effects of global warming on our wildlife.
Basic equipment
What equipment to buy is always a daunting subject for a beginner. Do you immediately get the very best binoculars, every field guide in the shop and a full set of clothing for all possible weather conditions? Or do you make do with the bins your dad used in the Second World War, The Observer’s Book of Birds and an old anorak?
As you might expect, the best approach to choosing equipment for wildlife watching is somewhere in between. Don’t be tempted to get everything at once: start gradually and you’ll be less likely to buy something you don’t really need. On the other hand, there are some items of equipment that you really should get before you go out in the field for the first time.
Binoculars
There are several things to think about when choosing a pair of binoculars:
Price: How much can you afford?
Weight: Whether or not this bothers you may depend on how long you plan to carry them, and how far.
Specification: For general wildlife watching you need an all-purpose pair of bins that will give you a reasonable-sized image, a good field of view, and be able to cope with reduced light conditions at dawn and dusk. For this reason it’s usually best to buy a pair with 8x magnification (10x if you do all your wildlife watching in the open or at a long distance); and an objective lens measuring between 32 and 42 millimetres: i.e. an ‘8 x 32’, ‘8 x 40’ or ‘8 x 42’ specification. This will provide a good, bright image.
Optical quality: This really is the key factor – make sure that the image is sharp, bright in low light and reproduces colours faithfully.
Design, handling and build: Design is very much a matter of personal taste. Some people prefer the more traditional look, others something more modern. More important are whether or not they are waterproof (vital if you plan to go out in the rain or in areas of high humidity), and the general build quality. But if you are only using them to watch the birds from your back window, then ruggedness isn’t all that important.
Other factors: If you want to watch butterflies or dragonflies, then choose a model with the closest focus available. Make sure you buy your binoculars from a specialist shop, not from one of the high street outlets. You’ll get much better advice and the prices are generally more competitive. Allow plenty of time, too, to try out different types and styles – ideally by watching real wildlife out in the field. If you get the chance, try out a couple of pairs belonging to your friends before you buy.
Other equipment
There are all sorts of items of specialist equipment you will need if you are taking an interest in a particular group of creatures, such as small mammals, moths or bats (see Advanced Equipment on page 176). In the meantime, there are a few things that are always worth having: