Hot Spots for Birders

Some locations attract so many birds or such a variety of interesting birds that they are known as "HOT SPOTS." Some of these hot spots are in rather obscure or remote locations like Kenya or Costa Rica or Papua New Guinea. Other hot spots attract birds because of a quirk of geography. It can be a point of land extending into Lake Erie, mountains in the middle of an Arizona desert, or a sharp drop-off in the ocean floor near Monterey, California.

Everyone has a favorite hot spot. Sometimes these hot spots are swarming with birds only during the spring or fall migration. Some hot spots are best in the middle of winter.

Sometimes birds will show up in a location where they do not normally appear. When this happens the phones start ringing and birders race off to see the rarity. This can be lots of fun. (It can become an obsession if you are trying to see 700 species in North America.) Rare Bird Alert phone numbers have recordings about birds in your area. These phone numbers also may have descriptions of upcoming field trips that you can join. A new message appears every few days. Call the one in you area today and find out where the action is!

Did you ever wonder how many bird species you could see in just one day? Birders participate in events called "Big Days." They see how many species their group of 3-4 people can see or hear in 24 hours. Big Day events help raise money for conservation efforts. Friends will pledge 10 cents to a dollar or more for each species seen by the group. Some events like New Jersey's "World Series of Birding" receive national attention and draw birders from all over the world each May.

Did you ever wonder how many species you could see in just one lifetime? Birder's Diary, a computer program offered by Thayer Birding Software (800-865-2473) will automatically keep track of all your life lists for thousands of different locations. It includes lists for all the birds of the world.

If you would like to visit the best hot spots, buy a book called Birdfinder:A Birder's Guide to Planning North American Trips by Jerry A. Cooper. It was just published by the American Birding Association. Call ABA sales (800-634-7736) to order. The book cost is $17.95. The ABA/Lane Birdfinding Guides are another vaulable resource. They have detailed maps for most of the major birding areas in the United States and Canada.

Rare Bird Alert phone numbers
Top 100 Hot Spots in North America

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