The Purple Guide to Learning Birdwatching in 10 Days

Chapter 1: First Day

Let's get one thing clear right away: you aren't going to become a master birdwatcher in ten days, and this guide doesn't want you to. What you can do in ten days is get a real, honest taste of what birdwatching actually is - not the photo-trophy version you see on social media, but the regular, everyday practice of paying attention to the birds around you. The goal for this week and a half is simple: give you enough experience to know if this hobby clicks for you, and, if it does, give you enough skill to keep going on your own.

Before we go any further, let's define what we mean by birdwatching, so we're not carrying different pictures in our heads. In this guide, birdwatching means intentionally going somewhere - a backyard, a park, a sidewalk - and observing birds. That's it. It might involve binoculars eventually, but it doesn't have to. It might involve keeping a life list of every bird you've ever seen, but it also might not. Some birdwatchers are fierce about cataloging every species. Others just like to know what's making that noise outside their kitchen window. You get to decide what kind of birdwatcher you are, but you don't have to decide that today. Today, we're just going to look at some birds.

Here's what you need to know about day one before you do anything else. Today is not about learning. It's about experiencing. You are not going