Here, you will find a variety of resources while beginning bird sighting trips, for Arizona and beyond.
GENERAL ADVICE
Gear Up
The first step is getting all your gear. This includes things like binoculars and bird guides that are both great things to have. You don't need super expensive binoculars, cheap/old ones work well. If you end up really enjoying bird watching, buying a camera with a good spotting scope is not a bad idea. It is also important to make sure you have the proper clothing. If your going to somewhere cold, wear clothes that will keep you warm. If you are going to the desert, wear more breathable attire. Water, no matter where you are going, is always a must as well.
Setting Out
The first trip out is important since it will be your first impression of bird watching. If it is a bad experience, it is unlikely you will try again. Because of this, it is a good idea to go into your first outing with a plan. Nicholas Lund from the Audubon suggests that the best plan for beginners is to look in your bird guide and choose a bird to go out and find. If you don't have a bird guide, you can also look up common birds in your area. If you are having trouble identifying a bird, click here for some good general rules when identifying birds.
Good luck with your birding endeavors!
WEBSITES
Arizona's Important Bird Areas
This is a website with important bird areas all around Arizona - like the name suggests. The Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Audubon have determined these are important areas and need protection because of their bird species. By clicking around, you can find out more about each area. Not every area is open to everyone, so be sure to learn about each one before planning a trip there.
You can check out the website here.
Arizona Birding Trail
This website has more than 300 bird watching areas around Arizona. It is a one stop shop for Arizona Birding locations. The site has an interactive map with different birding locations. Here is a peek of what that looks like:
You can click around this map to see the names of different locations. This site is a great master list of bird areas.
To go to the main page of Arizona Birding Trail, click here.
To go straight to the map shown above on the Arizona Birding Trail website, click here.
Birdability
Enjoying birds and nature should be something everyone can do. Birdability helps those with disabilities get out and get birding! The map is similar to Arizona Birding Trail's map, except Birdability's map features trails that will work for different special needs. This website includes areas outside of Arizona, although most of them do seem to be in the USA. Clicking on the markers on the map will pull up the name and information of that particular site.
To go to the main page of Birdability, click here.
To go straight to the map on the Birdability website, click here.
Work Cited
Lund, Nicholas. “How To Begin Birding.” Audubon, www.audubon.org/news/how-begin-birding