{"id":31732,"date":"2025-07-15T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=31732"},"modified":"2025-07-15T09:00:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T15:00:52","slug":"birding-for-beginners-spot-birds-in-your-backyard-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/birding-for-beginners-spot-birds-in-your-backyard-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"Birding for beginners: Spot birds in your backyard and beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Broad-tailed hummingbirds are the most common hummingbirds in the Colorado Rockies. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Need a new hobby that will bring serenity to your life or a dash of color to brighten each day?<\/p>\n

Then, you might love birding.<\/p>\n

From a backyard feeder to your neighborhood park, wetland, patch of prairie or mountain forest, you can spot beautiful birds to soothe your soul.<\/p>\n

And the great thing about birding is it\u2019s free and accessible to people of all ages.<\/p>\n

\u201cBird watching doesn\u2019t require binoculars or even a field guide. It\u2019s as simple as enjoying what you see,\u201d said Zach Hutchinson<\/a>, a community naturalist and community science coordinator for Audubon Rockies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you wish to take it up a notch, you can bring a small pair of binoculars with you when you venture out for a walk and challenge yourself to spot one bird a day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s so great about birding is the diversity. You could live a lifetime and never see every bird that it\u2019s possible to see just in your own state. Every migration brings in new birds,\u201d Hutchinson said.<\/p>\n

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A mountain bluebird perches on a branch. Photo by Evan Barrientos, courtesy of Audubon Rockies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you want help on the go learning about birds, seeing photos and hearing their songs, download the free bird guide app from Audubon. (You\u2019ll need to enter an email address.)<\/p>\n

Hutchinson says birding appeals to all different personality types.<\/p>\n

Are you someone who simply enjoys hearing birds sing or seeing a quick flash of red, yellow or orange from a feathered creature? Then birding is for you.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re competitive with yourself or others and want to track every bird you see, then birding is for you too.<\/p>\n

Or, if you love serving your community, then you can create bird-friendly gardens and log sightings to help scientists track bird populations and migration patterns.<\/p>\n

Thanks to help from Hutchinson and Audubon Rockies<\/a>, we\u2019ve got tips to help you get started.<\/p>\n

Birding for beginners: Start with your backyard<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You might think you have to be an early riser to love birding. Certainly, to hear birds singing in nature and to witness optimum ornithological activity, it helps to get up early.<\/p>\n

But if you create a bird-friendly backyard, you can see birds every day, all day.<\/p>\n

How to get started:<\/strong><\/h3>\n