50 Bird Pics That Went Horribly Wrong But Ended Up With Hilarious Results, As Shared On This Facebook Group

We reached out to Dr. Kathi Borgmann, Communications Coordinator of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, to hear from an expert why bird watching is so special. "Birds are everywhere and pretty easy to spot, so watching birds can help us assess how the environment is doing," Kathi told Bored Panda. "Watching birds is also good for our mental health and well-being. And getting to know the species in your neighborhood is just fun and gives you a sense of place." We also asked Kathi if she had any tips for amateur bird photographers. "Don't stress about getting a frame-filling perfect photo. Often some of the most striking shots are of a bird in its habitat," she says. "Getting a good photo often involves spending a time with the bird, learning its behavior; this is a great way to combine birding and photography." She even had tips for when to conduct your photo shoot. "Morning and evening light is your friend; don't expect to get amazing photos during the middle of the day."

When it comes to what we can learn by watching birds, Kathi told us that, "Citizen science programs like eBird at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, are repositories where people can report what birds they see and hear, which provides scientists with large amounts of data that can help us assess population health, understand migration patterns, and assess the impacts of climate change." Lastly, she wanted to add that "crap" photographers shouldn't be discouraged. "Even 'bad' photos can be useful to scientists," Kathi notes. "Merlin Bird ID, the free app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that helps people identify what birds they see and hear, uses photos contributed by citizen scientists to put a name to a bird in a photo. Researchers have trained Merlin using machine learning technologies to identify a bird in a photo, which is where those 'bad' photos can be helpful. Without a variety of photos available Merlin wouldn’t be as good as it is."

People’s fascination with birds has been around for a long time, but the term “bird watching” was coined relatively recently. According to the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), bird watching in the US began in the late 1800’s when conservationists began to raise concerns about the hunting of birds to use their feathers in the fashion industry. They proposed that rather than shooting the majestic creatures, people began to simply observe birds instead. Then in 1901, the book Bird Watching by Edmund Selous was published, popularizing the term. 

After World War II, when binoculars had become more advanced and field guides with photos and descriptions or bird species were being published, interest in birding began to increase. Today, it’s still a wildly popular pastime, with organizations like the National Audubon Society, the American Birding Association and the National Wildlife Federation offering tips on how to attract birds to your own garden.    

ERIC explains that there are a few key ingredients for making birds feel at home, if you’re interested in inviting them to your yard to be watched or photographed. Perhaps the most obvious tactic in attracting any animal is feeding them. Birds love seeds like sunflower seeds or thistle seeds, but specialty items can bring in different types of feathered friends. ERIC mentions that suet cakes and sugar solutions will better your chances of finding woodpeckers or hummingbirds in your garden.

Water for drinking and bathing can also attract the attention of birds passing by. A yard with a variety of plants can be exciting for birds too. Just don’t tidy up too much, brush piles and dead leaves, sticks, moss, etc. can be great for birds to build nests with. Lastly, protection is important for many birds. A simple bird house can be appealing for them, as it will keep them safe from other animals and allow a break from constant sunshine or rain.

Though bird watching has been popular for many years, it saw a huge surge in popularity during the initial lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. eBird, an online database for birders to keep track of what they’ve spotted, saw a more than 40% increase in sightings in April 2020. Shops that sell bird seed and backyard birdfeeders also reported sale increases of 45-50%. Even Merlin, a bird identifying app, was installed on 200,000 new devices in February 2021, a 175% increase in downloads from the previous year. While businesses are now opening back up and society is slowly returning back to “normal”, it would make sense for the birding craze to die down. But the data suggests otherwise.

According to Quartz, visits to bird pages on Wikipedia are still well above their pre-pandemic levels. Curious bird watchers have also been using the Audubon app at much larger rates to seek bird information. Rebeccah Sanders, chief field and strategy officer of the National Audubon Society, credits the timing of the pandemic’s onset and the sudden boredom as possible reasons for the rise of birding. Most places locked down in the early spring “when all these new birds are sort of floating through people’s backyards and environments”. She went on to note that “people were also looking out their window a little differently”.