Sit Birding

I am definitely a fan of sit birding. You find a nice birdy location – say the edge of a marsh or along a riverbank – and then (here’s where it gets technical) you sit. As in down.

Get comfy. Sit in your carefully chosen perfect location and wait for the birds to come to you.

One of the biggest advantages to sit birding is the elimination of wondering what you’ve just missed in any given location. Sit birding means you can see ALL of the birds as long as you care to park yourself there.

I find sit birding particularly enjoyable on a warm summer evening, sitting next to a gently flowing river. Note to self: sit birding is best done with your eyes open, or a wide awake friend to nudge you occasionally.

Particularly advanced sit birders may cover two or even three different locations in the course of a day’s birding, but you can slowly work up to that high level of activity.

And for a near-professional level of sit birding, check this out!

From The Bird Watchers Digest:

The Big Sit! is an annual, international, noncompetitive birding event hosted by Bird Watcher’s Digest and founded by the New Haven (CT) Bird Club. Every team that observes this year’s “Golden Bird” has a chance to win $500. We hope bird watchers from around the globe will unite on this special day by participating in this event (it’s free!). The Big Sit! is sponsored by Swarovski Optik, Alpen Optics, and Wild Bird Centers.

Some people have called it a “tailgate party for birders.” Today there are Big Sit! circles all over the world, including Guatemala, India, the Netherlands, England, Vietnam, and New Zealand.

The simplicity of the concept makes The Big Sit! so appealing. Find a good spot for bird watching — preferably one with good views of a variety of habitats and lots of birds. Next you create a real or imaginary circle 17 feet in diameter and sit inside the circle for 24 hours, counting all the bird species you see or hear. That’s it. Find a spot, sit in it, have fun.

The 15th annual Big Sit!* will take place on Sunday, October 11, 2009. Remember, this FREE EVENT is open to every person and club in any country! Click here to register your circle!

And you thought I was just being lazy!