Birdwatching, also called birding, is an outdoors activity that promotes wildlife observation. The activity’s main purpose is the observation of birds in their natural environment. Hence, cities are not the proper space to do it, you need to go further and look for natural reservations or forests near or far from where you live. Depending on the chosen place, you will be able to see different kinds of birds. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes or just go and look for some bird sounds. Or, by listening, many species are more easily detected and identified than by watching. The main purpose of this activity is for recreational purposes unlike ornithologists (ornithology is the branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds) engage with this activity with scientific purposes. Therefore, their methods as well as instruments are more sophisticated.
This activity has recently become as the perfect excuse for traveling. There exist in many countries agencies or people who offer bird tourism for those bird lovers who don’t care about traveling if new bird species can be seen. The following list is about the three of the best islands for birdwatching and it also includes some endemic species you can see there.
- The Faroe Islands: this island country belongs to Kingdom of Denmark and consists of an archipelago of small islands between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately in the halfway between Norway and Iceland. Even though its location seems to be inaccessible, there are very good connections to mainland Europe either by Faroese ferry company Smyril Line or by their national carrier Atlantic Airways. By air, there are direct flights from Denmark, England, Iceland and Norway year round. And, by sea There is a direct ferry link to Hirtshals in north of Jutland in Denmark twice a week during the summer and once a week during the winter with the ferry “Norröna”. During spring the arrival of millions of migrating birds will transform sky. Approximately 300 different bird species have been recorded in the Faroe Islands, among them 200 migrating bird species. Among these 200 is the Puffin bird, known as “lundin” in Faroese. This bird is well-known around these parts of the world, and is understandably one of the star attractions for visitors to the Faroe Islands, whether they are ornithologists or not. And unlike most wild birds, the puffin is very approachable.
- Canary Islands: also called the Canaries, this archipelago belongs to Spain and is located on the southern coast of Morocco. The Canaries is one of the Spain’s 17 autonomous communities. The arrival there is easier since there are eight airports, ports and highways. More than 400 species have been identified in the archipelago, six of them are endemic: Bolle’s Pigeon Columba bollii Laurel Pigeon Columba junoniae Canary Islands Chat Saxicola dacotiae Canary Islands Kinglet Regulus teneriffae Canary Islands Chiffchaff Phylloscopus canariensis Teydefinch Fringilla teydea. They have experts for guiding tourists into the birdwatching activity. Every single island captivates tourists since each one of them has different bird and plant species.
- Antigua and Barbuda: is a twin-island country in the Americas, lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Getting to Barbuda, where the bird sanctuary is located on, requires a little extra effort because first you need to fly into the international airport in Antigua and then take a 90-minute ferry. No trip to Barbuda is complete without a guide-accompanied boat ride to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary at the Codrington Lagoon in Wa’Omoni Beach Park. Five species of large frigate birds home in the sanctuary. This birds are also known as ‘Man o’ War’ because of their impressive seven-foot wingspan and the fact that they often swoop down and grab meals away from smaller birds. Male birds are easily recognizable because of the bright red gullets they inflate to attract females. While the sanctuary is the largest nesting colony of frigate birds in the Caribbean, it actually shelters a total of 150 bird species, including kingfishers, pelicans and herons. The Frigate Bird Sanctuary can only be reached by boat.
Image courtesy of Xavier Sandel at Flickr.com
There are a lot of islands where to do birdwatching, you only need to define what species you want to see and then pack. This list is a short list because in Asia hundreds of islands are the home of the beautiful birds from paradise that are the most impressive nature expression for birds’ lovers. Do not miss the chance of appreciate them on live. For your lists ebird.org is an excellent page where you can keep your personal list of birds you have seen and also include description you want to do about them.
