Bird watching is an incredibly rewarding pastime shared by millions of people around the world. It’s a great way to share an intimate connection with nature, enrich your knowledge of birds, and help you bond with other enthusiasts. Not only can it be done year-round, but it also helps us understand the world better. Bird watching is often done outdoors, but currently, you’re probably spending a lot more time at home than you’re used to since many vacations and outdoor activities have been limited or put on hold. But luckily, you don’t need access to the wilderness to spot birds. And here are some tips to help you enjoy bird watching from the comfort of your home.
Bird Watching from Your Home
Bird watching is a highly accessible activity that you can do anywhere, even at home. Birds around the world are in the midst of their annual dash to wintering grounds, so it’s just the prime time when you can spot different kinds of birds passing through your backyard. Aside from being interesting and fun, bird watching also shows great promise in preventative health care by lowering levels of depression, anxiety and stress. If you have a garden that already attracts birds, then all you need is to look out of your window and enjoy. You’ll be surprised to find some visitors in your yard, flying overhead, or feeding in your street trees. By paying attention to your surroundings, you will start noticing things you hadn’t before, and it’ll be great fun to track migratory activities.
Why Bird Watching Is an Ideal Hobby for Older People?
What’s more, for older people who are suffering from mobility problems, like weak muscles, arthritis, paralysis, etc., bird watching can really boost your lifestyle, improve your overall well-being, and even make you feel younger again. It helps older people reconnect with nature and allows homebound seniors to participate in a hobby without having to leave their living room if they don’t want to. You may not be able to go out hiking to spot birds, but you can go birdwatching wherever you are, even indoors! By setting up a birdwatching station next to the window by your chair with a field guide and binoculars at hand, you’ll be able to discover and identify different bird species. In addition, bird watching also brings lots of cognitive benefits to the elderly. It puts you into a meditative state when you are relaxed and focused, and by doing so, you’re unconsciously exercising your brain, memory, etc.
How to Participate in Bird Watching Indoors?
As we previously said, bird watching can be done virtually anywhere. Here, we’ve introduced two ways to go birdwatching from the comfort of your living room.
1. Make an Indoor Bird Watching Station
Here are the simple steps to follow to set up indoor birdwatching:
1) Find the Best Location in Your Home
Finding an indoor birding spot is quite easy. Just choose a view that includes some trees, bushes or that birds tend to frequent. To attract the birds to your garden, you can plant some native plants to offer perching areas, food, and shelter. And you also need to arrange the furniture by moving the couch or recliner directly in front of the window so that you can see clearly through the windows. Make sure the viewing window is clean inside and out. You can also set a coffee table by your couch to make it as comfortable as possible.
2) Invest in Binoculars
You can simply start by looking out of the window and a pair of binoculars will help get a closer look at the birds you are observing. You should choose a lens with a wide field of view because the wider the view, the clearer the birds will be seen. Pick a pair of binoculars with a magnification of 7 to 8 times to ensure you can catch a glimpse of the smallest or fastest feathered creature even on rainy days. And a lens number from 30 to 40 millimeters would normally be enough. The higher the numbers, the more you will be able to see, but these models are pricier and heavier. And lightweight binoculars are a good choice to carry around.
3) Install a Bird Feeder
You can also consider investing in a bird feeder. Using this, you can attract multiple birds to your garden at the same time. Be sure to consider best practices for hanging feeders and cleaning them every two weeks to avoid the spread of bird diseases. And choose your food choice wisely since some birds are more attracted to specific types of foods. And you should hang your bird feeder in a place where it will be safe from cats and other predators and make sure it’s high enough from the ground, so the birds won’t feel threatened when they’re using it. If you’re using a window bird feeder, you should handle it carefully so birds don’t accidentally bump the glass. If you don’t want squirrels, it is best to buy one that is squirrel-proof. Or you can divert them away by setting up a squirrel feeder.
4) Wait and Watch
When all the supplies are set up, patience is all it takes. Be patient and wait for the arrival of the birds, because the beautiful flocks will come out at the right time. Over time, you’ll know the best time to spot birds. And a field guide can be a useful tool to help you identify your feathered friends and can also give you some interesting information about them.
2. Install a TV Bird Box Camera
The TV birdhouse camera is an excellent tool to watch wild birds up-close without disturbing them. Featuring a compact size, it can be easily installed in any standard-sized birdhouse. Moreover, its user-friendly design and setup make it extremely accessible to senior users, who can watch bird live shows directly on their TVs or any HDMI-compatible monitors. Once powered up, the TV birdhouse camera can start streaming real-time video and audio.
1) Install a Birdhouse
By installing a birdhouse, those feathered creatures will simultaneously visit their backyards and chances are higher that they may pay an annual visit to their backyards in breeding or migration season or even make a permanent settlement there. Different species show different requirements for nesting so which birdhouse you choose and where you place it will greatly affect what kind of birds be attracted to your backyard. Early spring is the best time to install a birdhouse since this is when they are busy building nests. The birdhouse can be hung in a safe place, facing slightly downward to avoid strong sunlight and prevailing winds. And it should be mounted in a relatively open area where you can have an unobstructed view.
2) Choose a TV Birdhouse Camera
Green Backyard has launched several types of bird box cameras that can be watched directly on your TV to help families and schools get closer to the wildlife around them and watch live footage of nesting birds without complicated software configuration. And we have developed wireless and wired versions to satisfy different setup requirements.
TV Birdhouse Camera 3MP with Digital Wireless Receiver
Unlike the traditional TV bird box camera, which uses a 3-in-one cable for data connection, in this TV birdhouse camera, video and audio can be transmitted wirelessly to the receiver from a distance of up to 50 meters. This waterproof TV bird box camera can generate 3MP high-resolution color images by day and pin-sharp B&W images at night with infrared LEDs, so you can watch wild birds anytime once you connect the camera to your TV. With a wide operating temperature range from -30°C to 55°C, it can function flawlessly in extreme weather, giving you peace of mind in outdoor deployment.
TV Birdhouse Camera with HDMI Box
The TV bird box camera is super senior-friendly, featuring a simple plug-and-see installation. Using the included HDMI box, you’re able to watch live videos on TV (700TVL) without complicated software configuration. And the HDMI box outputs both audio and video signals from the source camera. This TV birdhouse camera delivers color images by day and B&W images at night to ensure around-the-clock bird watching without spooking the birds. This camera is also outfitted with a 2.5mm wide-angle lens to produce a 120-degree field of view, the perfect setup for up-close viewing.
3. Install the Camera into the Birdhouse
First, you’ll need to attach the TV birdhouse camera to the roof of the birdhouse. Place the bracket on the attachment point and fix it with a screw. Then attach the camera to the bracket with provided screws on either side and remove the protective cap from the camera. Second, power up the camera up. Connect one side of the waterproof extension cable to the camera and the other side to the power adapter, and then plug the adapter into the power socket. And extension cables might be needed for long-distance applications, but you can also power the TV bird box camera with rechargeable batteries. Next, you need to connect the camera to the digital wireless receiver and connect the receiver to your TV with the included HDMI cable. Then you can adjust the focus by twisting the lens clockwise and counter-clockwise until you get a clear image.
