In 1934, birders - as bird-watchers often call themselves - received a significant boost with the publication of Roger Tory Peterson's A Field Guide to the Birds. It stood out largely because of the so-called Peterson identification system, which you can learn about at Peterson Online through a section called Peterson's Perspective. In essence, this system breaks down bird identification into a series of categories, including field marks and size and shape. Peterson Online includes many other elements, from a skill builder that helps you practice your bird identification abilities to a calendar of bird-oriented events.

Although you can watch birds with your naked eyes alone, most birders use binoculars or a spotting scope. If you need optics information, go to the Optics for Birding Home Page. This site contains a nice introduction to optics for beginners, where one can learn about magnification, objective-lens size, eye relief, and everything else that affects one's choice of binoculars.

Many sites also concentrate on bird-watching in a specific country. For example, Birds Australia lists recent sightings down under, and gives a beginner a good foundation for birding in a section called Getting Started. Birds and Birding in India points out this country's hot birding spots through a series of trip reports.

If you're off to the orient, stop by the Hong Kong Bird-Watching Society's site to pick up a checklist or brush up on the calls of Hong Kong's birds. Before going bird-watching in the United Kingdom, check out The Bird Web to plan your trip.

Many sites also concentrate on birding in the United States. For instance, you might find a nearby bird-watching mecca by visiting the National Audubon Society's section on Sanctuaries and Nature Centers. Many other sites serve the bird-watchers of single states, such as Birding New Jersey, and some sites look at just part of a state, like Birds of the Upper Texas Coast, which maintains a detailed list of birding locations.

As every birder knows, though, birds rarely stay put in one place for long. You can see how far birds go by visiting the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. This site also includes a series of interesting fact sheets, including one called Why Migratory Birds are Crazy for Coffee. (I won't give away the story, but I will reveal that these birds are not looking for a morning pick-me-up.) You can even follow a bird or two at Migrating Birds Know No Boundaries, which uses satellite telemetry to keep track of several individual birds. To learn even more about satellite tracking, point your browser to The Albatross Project at Wake Forest University to see how research and education can be combined through tracking birds.

For all birders, part of our ongoing education revolves around bird calls and songs. Beginners and advanced birders will enjoy the Introduction to Bird Song at The Song Post. This site also maintains a directory of links to birdsong investigators and a set of links that includes many birdsong sites. For instance, the Australian National Botanical Gardens posts the calls of many common birds from the garden, including a kookaburra, magpie, and more. Although downloading these calls can take a minute or two each, the resulting files play songs for even longer, giving a listener a wonderful chance to learn the sounds. The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center also maintains an online library of birdsongs.

Endlinks

Birder Home Page - leads birders to checklists, games, museum collections, and links for birding products, from optics to tour operators.

Patuxent Bird Quiz - test your knowledge of North American bird identification, distribution in winter and summer, and song.

Internet Flyway - another list of links to bird-watching resources around the world.

New Jersey Audubon Society - guides birders to the best spots in New Jersey, and to information about conservation, research, and much more.

Web sites mentioned in this column:

• The Albatross Project
• American Birding Association Online
• Australian National Botanical Gardens
• Better View Desired
• Birding New Jersey
• Birds and Birding in India
• Birds Australia
• Birds of the Upper Texas Coast
• The Bird Web
• Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
• Hong Kong Bird-Watching Society
• Introduction to the Aves
• Migrating Birds Know No Boundaries
• Museum of Paleontology
• National Audubon Society
• Optics for Birding Home Page
• Ornithology WebSite
• Paxutent Wildlife Research Center
• Peterson Online
• Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
• The Song Post
• Where Do You Want to Go Birding Today