Take your student's birdwatching while Camping and Hiking
People have been birdwatching since earliest human history as they gazed skywards and admired the mystery of flight. The Romans actually considered birds omens, and believed that the future could be predicted from the bird calls. Birding is becoming a popular hobby. The US estimates that 51 million people now engaged in birdwatching different species. Studies also say that birding is now the fastest growing hobby in the world. Camping and hiking is a great opportunity to do birdwatching in Montana.
Bird's in Wild Habitats
One thing you need before you go camping is a bird field guide book! It doesn't take long before you will start reaching for a field guide to identify a particular species. Next item is to get a pair of binoculars! You will be using them a lot to observe birds. Purchase the best quality and magnification your budget will stand. While many people have a favorite species to watch most, camping and hiking bird watchers get to observe a wide range of birds. The basic rules are that you maintain low visibility, make as little noise as possible, and just try and blend in with the surroundings. Keep your noise levels down when you are photographing and please don't get too close to nesting areas. Here are some great glasses to take with you on your next outing.
Birds of Prey
When you hike and camp in Washington mountains and rough country, you get a great chance to observe Washington state birdwatching birds of prey. They are also called raptors and these include Falcons, Eagles, Hawks, and Owls. The raptor has the distinct physical characteristics of a hooked beak and large talons that are used effectively to catch and hang on to prey with. The largest raptor in the USA is the California Condor, with a wing span of around 9 feet and a weight of up to 23 pounds (11kg). The fastest raptor is the Peregrine Falcon that can dive at an incredible 200 mph. In North America you can see some 30 plus raptor species with many sub-species. The raptor can be found in a diverse range of hiking and camping area habitats that range from forests and alpine-tundra, and temperate rainforests to deserts and grasslands.
Camping out gives you another great bird watching opportunity. The owl which can make for some great bird-watching if you don't mind staying up late and moving away from the campfire, actually belongs to a species category that consist of mainly nocturnal birds that are classified as Strigiformes . This species order is split into a further 2 groups which are called the Tytonidae or Barn Owl and related species, (there 18 known species), and the Strigidae which includes round 194 owl species. Owls also inhabit a wide range of terrain that includes everything from dense forests to the open plains and prairies.
Shorebirds and Waders
On any trip to the coast you can sit and observe shorebirds foraging for food along the coastal mudflats, marshes and wetlands. They are feeding off small fish that are found in the shallows. They also like to eat the small invertebrates and shellfish, and pick them out of the mud using a variety of specially evolved shaped and long beaks. The wader also has those characteristically long and spindly legs. Waders belong to the species order Charadriiformes . The International Wader Study Group, concluded that nearly 50% of all waders are now in decline with some 100 species considered at risk, and 23 of these are now classified as globally threatened . Watching waders is very absorbing and requires patience and just occasionally this patience is rewarded by observing the capture of fish meal.