National Go Birding Day – April 27, 2024

History of National Go Birding Day

In the mid-1700s, most people watched birds for hunting as a sport or primarily for food. It wasn’t until much later that the study of birds and nature became widely popular. During the Victorian era, between 1837 to 1901 people collected birds’ eggs and feathers, and later preserved their feathers. The late 18th century works of Gilbert White, Thomas Bewick, George Montagu, and John Clare show an early interest in observing birds for their aesthetic rather than for food sources. The phrase “bird watching” first appeared as the title of a book by Edmund Selous in 1901. Previously, the identification of birds was by shooting them, until the emergence of optics and field identification guides in North America.

“Birds through an Opera Glass” (1889) by Florence Bailey was the first field guide published in the United States. From the 1880s onwards, there was a significant increase in interest in wild birds. Bird-watching first gained popularity in the United Kingdom, with the United States not far behind. One of the many appeals of bird-watching is that it is an inexpensive activity. Basic equipment used includes binoculars, a notebook to aid identification, and recording time and place of sightings.

Travel is not necessary, many bird-watchers set up feeding stations at local parks or at their homes to attract birds. Scientists rely on lists of bird observations compiled by members of local bird-watching societies to determine the dispersal, habitat, and migration patterns of various species. Amateur bird-watchers began to increase their fieldwork, including photography, around 1930.