Should I Use a Bird/Critter Log?

Introduction

I’m one who has always liked to collect and analyze data for trends. This was useful in my job managing the commercial real estate appraisal and environmental risk functions for my job at a bank before I retired. In fact, I developed database programs to collect and analyze real estate trends. So, it should come as no surprise that in retirement, I carry some of that propensity to collect, analyze and trend information about the bird and critter activity at my bird station.

Why collect information and not just enjoy the birds?

My channel’s mantra is: “Explore, Observe, Learn & Share.” So, for me to learn, I had to explore and observe. When I observe, I like to take notes. As someone once said: “The shortest pencil is better than the longest memory.” Something recorded will generally not be lost or forgotten like it can with my aging memory. Additionally, we can learn from recorded history. This may also be why I like photography so much. I can relive and reinforce my memory and deepen my study of a particular topic. The more I learn, the more enjoyment I get as I can more optimally identify what I am looking at or hearing.

What should go in my log?

The question about what should go in a log is dependent on what your purpose is for keeping a log and how much time that you are willing to dedicate in maintaining the log. My log is not like an eBird.org listing of every bird that frequents my feeder over the course of each day. Since I have a lot of the same birds and same species of birds make trips to the feeder numerous times over the course of the day, I would spend all day logging birds. In other words, a lot of repetitive entries that, unless I am a scientist, don’t carry a lot of weight in my learning. Plus, most birds of the same species look similar and not unique at least in my eyes, so besides me identifying them as male or female, I can’t tell you how many times a day one particular bird returns to the feeder to feed.

So, given that I don’t log even each species, what do I find useful to enter into my log? I enter species that are first time sightings or first time sightings for the season or even the last sighting for a season. I may also log a bird that I heard but did not see, so that I know they are in the area. I usually log what gender they are, what feeder they use, what food they are eating and any other unusual behavior observed.

This information in the log is useful for me to visit and review so that I can learn when to expect certain birds to arrive or leave and what food to put out for them to attract them when they do arrive. Most folks do this for hummingbirds, but often may not think to do it for other arriving birds. Louis Pasteur once said that luck favors the prepared mind. I think that I may be luckier in attracting a wider range of species to my feeder because I know what species may be in the neighborhood and have the table set for them to dine on what foods they favor.

Can we see what you have in your log?

While I gave the pencil vs. memory analogy above, I actually maintain my log in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet so that I can utilize dropdown menu choices to speed up my data entry. A word of advice is if you try to collect too much information too often, then it becomes a job and it is probably not a sustainable practice. So, first decide what information is important to capture, how you will use it and then set up your log. They say that 50% of completing any job is just starting it. So let’s get started! Here is an excerpt of what birds that I saw in this time period last year:

A little closer look:

Now that we know what we saw last year during this period (frankly, no new sightings except for American Goldfinches), we would look forward to what might come, namely the Summer Tanager and maybe Song Sparrow. Around the 20th of September we started seeing the Scarlet Tanagers and on the 22nd the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (top chart). So, this is useful information that we can use to ensure that we have these birds favored foods out on our feeder to make sure that when they stopped by to check it out, we have the table set for them!

Here is the latest sightings. We can see that the Summer Tanagers arrived earlier than last year and behold a new species, namely the Baltimore Oriole!

And a closer look:

In Conclusion

As mentioned in my introduction, logs can be useful tools to inform and therefore add more enjoyment to watching birds. A bonus is that you may also attract more bird or critter species by doing so, as you accumulate more knowledge on their feeding habits, behavior and when they may be in your area. I will soon create another blog post on complementary tools to use to predict when migratory birds may be heading your way. Stay tuned and thanks so much for your continued support of my YouTube channel and this website. There is a donation link if you feel compelled to help offset my cost. God bless you and your family!