New here,,, Any body Home??

[Didi]

I just wanted to say Hello to everyone,, I hope I've found the right forum for bantering, I've notice there isn't a lot of interaction of bantering here. Unless you are all gone Birding;)

I have a lot to learn,, I've only started this interest about a year ago, and really only know the names of my back yard birds.
Behind My work place is a thicket of trees and bushes, with a little creek that is mostly dried up beyond that. It's off 183 and Bedford near Industrial exit. I see a lot of birds , hear a lot of birds when I get to work and off work and on my lunch break. I ALways have my camera with me, ready!
I'd like some tips to be able to capture pictures of birds ,,, HOWEVER, it's so thickly over grown it's hard to get in most areas. And Truth be told I'm kinda scared to get into those area,, You know,,, Snakes,, foxes,, :eek: I'm not ready to take pictures of those type things .
I also want to know what you all refer to as the Bed's ???
I've lived here in the DFW area for 15 years and Only go to work and home what a life Huh??:rolleyes:
So I don't know my way around much and would really like to get into a group of people willing to show me the ropes on Birding
Any Volunteers??? :D

[camcar]

I'm sure that there are many people that would be willing to help you out on this site. I would love to help you out in person but I am returning to Lubbock in a few days to get ready for school.

Village Creek Drying Beds, or the beds, is located to the west of River Legacy Park on Green Oaks in Arlington. The beds are owned by the city of Fort Worth and are open around 7:30 each day and close around 4:30. You can drive your car in at these times but you must stay out of areas that are closed off with cones. River Legacy is also a great place to bird.

You also will need a good bird field guide. I am partial to National Geographic's Birds of North America http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Field-Guide-America/dp/0792253140 but I usually carry around Sibley's as well http://www.amazon.com/Sibley-Guide-Birds-David-Allen/dp/0679451226/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248663042&sr=8-1

As for bird photography these may help.
http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/photography/birdphoto_tips.aspx
http://digital-photography-school.com/backyard-bird-photography-tips

Hopefully this helps and makes sense... Sometimes I am not very good at conveying my thoughts through the written word.

Cameron

[gail]

Attend our meetings and fieldtrips! You'll find plenty of friendly faces willing to share!

[lulubelle]

Hi Didi,

Summer is a bit low key due to the heat and vacations! I personally don't go out much, except to the beds because I can bird by car (meaning with air conditioning!). I do go out there every chance I can get. What I have found is that if I go birding on foot during the summer, I have to get out really early (and it is still uncomfortable) and the birds usually hunker down around 10 a.m. and I have had enough. So I usually wait til the fall to anything else besides the beds.

If you will check out the field trip section, Mary Lee has a great selection of both local and out of town field trips. All levels of birders are welcome. Dallas Audubon hopefully will be posting their field trips soon. I agree with Cameron, if you don't already have a field guide (there are many good ones out there), then get one. I personally prefer the guides with photos, but I have guides with both photos & drawings. I am revising my earlier post because I took a look at your photo albums and you aren't what I woudl call a novice! I would take your bins to work and take advantage of the workplace birdiness on your breaks - leaves can be a pain, but be patient!


As far as banter, I recommend that you check out Birders World - here is the link:
http://www.birdersworld.com/brd/default.aspx
They have lots of sub-forums, including a really great photography section where you can post photos and get feedback. There are (or were) several members of both Ft Worth and Dallas Audubon on this site.
If you are intested in a site with international membership, I recommend Bird Forum. It has a great optics section. Here is the link to it:
http://www.birdforum.net/
Cornell also has an excellent site, with photos, sounds, etc:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/


Hope this helps and hope to see you on some field trips and at some meetings!:)

[dpbronze]

Hiyer - Yes, like Gail said - come to meetings & field trips. In your immediate area at Industrial & Hwy 121/ the intersection with Cheek-Sparger Rd... go west 2 3/4 miles on Cheek Sparger to Bedford Rd, then north a couple blocks to Sparger Park. It is a great little city park with big trees & a small creek. Paved trail all through. I think we have a regular monthly field trip there scheduled later this season. Enjoy !

[Sandpiper]

Hi Didi,

I used to live in the Grapevine/Euless area of Mid-Cities. Loved it there, too! I live in Fort Worth now. I used to see a great variety of birds in Mid-Cities, although I could not identify most of them. I have been watching my back garden more carefully, and I have seen a few new birds coming around lately. I always try to post anything new I see, even if it is not very rare. Hope you will do the same.

jt:)