Birdwatching is the perfect activity to do while you and your household are practicing social distancing. You can bird from your backyard, at your local neighborhood park or visit one of Santa Clara County’s many parks and open spaces. Plus, all you need is a field guide and a pair of binoculars. The resources below will help get you started.
Binoculars
For information on how to choose a pair of binoculars, read Audubon’s How to Choose Your Binoculars.
Los Gatos Birdwatcher is a local shop in which staff will help you choose the best pair of binoculars for your needs. They even encourage you to take the binoculars outside to test them out.
Orion Telescopes & Binoculars (Cupertino). CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
REI (Saratoga and Mountain View) also sells binoculars.
Bird Identification Resources
Common Backyard birds of santa clara county
View our page of common backyard birds of Santa Clara County.
SMART PHONE APP
Merlin Bird ID: Don’t know the difference between your sparrows and your warblers? Merlin Bird ID is a free smartphone app developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Identify birds using easy field marks such as color, size, and behavior. Includes range maps and bird calls. This is a great place to start when you’re new to birding.
WEBSITES
To learn more about each bird you see including bird songs, check out these sites:
All About Birds by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
FIELD GUIDES FOR YOUR SMARTPHONE
iBird Plus. Paid app. Has very complete information on each bird with photos and calls/sounds for all of the birds in North America.
Sibley Birds v2. Paid app. Similar to iBird. Has a nice “compare” feature that allows you to view similar birds side-by-side.
PRINTED FIELD GUIDES
Having multiple field guides is helpful because each guide has different layouts, illustrations, or other features. Always make sure you purchase the most current edition. Here are three good places to start:
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America; 7th ed. (2017). John L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer.
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America; annotated ed. (2008). John L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer.
Sibley Birds West: Field Guide to Birds of Western North America; 2nd ed. (2016). David Allen Sibley.
These guides, along with many other books are available in the SCVAS Nature Shop.
Bird Anatomy
Visit Bird External Anatomy by Ornithology: The Science of Birds
More Resources
You can also watch SCVAS Education and Outreach Specialist Carolyn Knight’s video Birding Basics: Equipment and other Birding Basics Videos.
For more birding resources including where you can bird in Santa Clara County, visit our Birding Resources page.
Banner Photo Credit: Black-crowned Night Heron by Julie MacKinnon