How to Seawatch

Step 7 Birding Online

That's it, really.

You may want to chat to other seawatchers - ask them what's about.

You may want to get involved in general bird conservation, surveys, bird ringing, or just general chat.

These days, that will inevitably involve you getting online (these links are all UK-biased), both for information and to acquire equipment. Some of these sites could spare you the initial expense of a birdbook.

• The RSPB site has news and views, guides to reserves, and a good set of pages about specific birds, including video clips and audio recordings of many species.
• The British Trust for Ornithology is slightly more "hard core" - you can volunteer for surveys of various kinds, as well as joining in ringing birds at observatories. They are also the guardians of the definitive Bird Atlas of the UK.
• BirdGuides has a lot of up-to-the-minute news, including sightings, photos of rare species etc. Free registration gets you a weekly email of news and bird sightings around the UK. As-they-happen alerts to twitchable birds requires a paid subscription. (I only use the free services).
• BirdForum is a free forum, chat about birds, post photos, get help with identification etc. Most members are quite welcoming, but some are very scathing with new members, or members who make mistakes. There is a definite pecking order. The site also boasts galleries of birds, a wiki-style bird-related encyclopaedia, blogs and equipment reviews. Membership is international, so you can get help with planning trips as well.
• Seabird News is a fairly hard-core group on Google, which you can read without joining.
• If you are not in the UK, and want to find a more local birding organisation, try checking the Birdlife Partners list as well as search engines.
• Finally, and potentially most promising, there is Collins Birds - the site is not running yet, but Collins is a major publisher of birding books, and I have spoken to a couple of people who know things. It looks promising, and is going to be free. What I cannot see yet is an income source for the site (maybe paying for bird alerts?).  If you visit the link, and enter your email address, you will also be entered into a draw for a rather decent pair of binoculars.

That is only a tiny taster - there are also many local groups and clubs, plus similar groups and organisations around the world.

I hope you've enjoyed this peek at one of the lesser-known sides of birding, and think about having a go yourself.