Bird Watching Competitions: A Primer

Bird watching seems like a very relaxing recreational activity where you can sit around all day, and just stare into Mother Nature, and all the beauty she holds. In fact, bird watching doesn't seem to be a very competitive recreational activity at all. It seems as if anyone can do it by sitting down, and relaxing; however, there is a competitive side to all bird watchers; thus, there are bird watching competitions.

Remember, how on TV (especially in cartoons), and you see this man or woman watching and tallying how many birds they've seen the whole day? Although bird watching competitions are not as competitive as you may think it is, there is still some competition going on.

Bird watching competitions do come around every now and then when the objective of the competition is to spot as many birds as you can, and tally it all up. Obviously, the person who has seen the most species of birds will win - in my opinion, it is similar to "I Spy"; however, you need to know your birds well, and how to spot them, so there is quite a lot of technique going along as well.

Generally, these competitions are held in a specific geographic location, so that it is fair to everyone, and so that there's an opportunity for bird watchers everywhere to gather, and do some socializing. There is a specific amount of time a bird watcher can take to see as many birds as they can. Of course, to the audience it may not be as exciting as watching another sport. After all, all you can do is watch others watch birds. There's not a lot of psychical activity going on, and not a lot of excitement unless you happen to be the bird watcher.

For bird watchers all over the globe, joining one or two of these bird watching competitions is really quite beneficial. Although you may wonder what sort of competition you're really be going through, the whole point of the competitions really isn't to see who can spot the most birds. First off, the competition is a chance for you to spot rare birds that you may have never seen before, and secondly, it's a socializing event where you will be able to meet other bird watchers who share the same interest as you.