There is something amazing and inspiring about watching animals in the wild. This is a reminder that we are not the only inhabitants of planet Earth; our ecosystem is about beauty and balance that must be respected. Many remote and surprisingly wild places in the USA provide animal lovers and naturalists with the opportunity to experience National Geographic-style adventures in person. From wild horses to alligators, from bears to bison, experience the thrill and wonder of locations across the US where wild animals roam freely.
Wildlife watching in the USA
According to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the fastest growing outdoor activity in North America today is birdwatching or birding in the wild. This hobby seems strange only at first glance. In practice, it brings no less pleasure than hiking, fishing, rafting and other types of recreation in the wild. Today more than 31.3 million people in the USA love to watch birds. Almost half of them do not even realize that they are fans of birdwatching and that such a hobby even exists. Such people focus on the birds when they sit on a bench in the park or look out the window. Professional observers are encyclopedic bird experts and travelers. They can go in a small group of 5-6 people from New York to New Zealand to listen and look at local kiwis for several hours (not to be confused with the fruit of the same name). Birdwatching has only one, but very strict requirement – birdwatching must be carried out only in the wild, and the birds must not feel discomfort from the human presence. True bird lovers consider it unacceptable to keep any fauna in cages. They fight hunting and zoos. Birdwatching is in some way a hobby of the future, testifying to the development of the human brain, which finally realized the importance of protecting nature and preserving it in its original form.
If you love birds and would like to practice birdwatching on a regular basis, follow the basic guidelines below. First, you need to purchase a so-called bird guide in a bookstore. This book will help you identify the birds that live in your area. No other country in the world produces as many Bird Guides as the United States. These books are pocket and for home use. They are broken down by region, city, and state. The production of the Bird Field Guide is a big business with centuries of tradition and rich history. The first such books began to be created by Europeans who explored the flora and fauna of North America. The term birdwatching, however, did not appear until centuries after the landing of Christopher Columbus. You can make your first discoveries with the Bird Field Guide in your own backyard, on a park bench, or on your way to work/shop. Identification of the first bird according to the reference book is the initial stage of the transformation of an ordinary person into an observer. Learn more about the bird’s lifestyle, habits, diet and interesting facts. As a rule, the compilers of the Bird Field Guide include all the most interesting things in the book. Also, most likely in your area there is more than one interest club, the same lovers as you watch wildlife. If you have not previously been fond of this topic, then you probably have no idea how many such clubs operate in the United States. The age of some bird clubs has long exceeded 100-150 years. The New York Brooklyn Bird Club, for example, was founded back in 1909. Bird clubs regularly organize walks and bird watching trips. Clubbers have encyclopedic knowledge. They know perfectly well where, when and at what time it is best to watch birds. You will see and hear much more than you might expect. It is especially worth mentioning that every bird club in the USA is a place of communication for a wide variety of people. If you are really and seriously interested in the topic of observing the life of wildlife, then subscribe to which print publication of the corresponding topic.
Well, now we come to the most important aspect of observing the US wildlife. Buying night vision binoculars is one of the important attributes of this exciting hobby. Today, the best optical companies in the world produce binoculars specifically for bird lovers. These binoculars have a number of unique technical innovations and do not cause discomfort. You are looking at a small bird from a distance through a tiny hole, but the image does not shake. It has amazing clarity and stability. The cost of such binoculars varies greatly. Authoritative manufacturers offer models for $500 – $800. However, no one says that buying binoculars, including for night vision, is the first requirement for observation. Fall in love with bird watching first. Then talk to amateurs and professionals. Over time, you will buy yourself binoculars that will become your faithful companion on short walks and long journeys. With binoculars, your hobby will become even more interesting. Today, according to many Americans; wildlife watching is the best way to spend time for a modern person. You are constantly in nature, but do not expose your body to strong physical exertion. Calm, enthusiastic and friendly people surround you. When it comes to birdwatching, Birds have a positive effect on your physical and psychological state. You feel like a part of nature. The possibilities of birdwatching are endless. This hobby is constantly being improved and developed. There are over 800 species of birds in North America alone. Therefore, you can constantly travel, gain new knowledge, share experience with like-minded people.
Night-life watching in the USA
The basic way to study the behavior of animals in their natural habitat is the so-called direct observation. The essence of this method is simple and clear: the observer follows the animals, showing minimal activity, so as not to influence the course of natural events in the wildlife world. In addition, if it seems to you that everything is very simple, you are mistaken. To see truly unique pictures of animals in their natural habitat, you first need to learn more about their habits and lifestyle. Therefore, you need to choose the right place and time for direct observation. However, even this is not enough. The thing is that wild animals are very wary of uninvited guests. Even if you are pursuing a completely peaceful goal and do not intend to harm animals, they will still perceive you as a stranger who can potentially harm. In such a situation, you definitely should not expect the natural behavior of animals to show: they will either hide or panic. That is why the secret of successful observation is not to frighten the animals. Of course, a logical question arises: what devices are suitable for observation? You will have to watch wild animals from a long distance. However, how to consider all the subtleties, being at a safe distance? State-of-the-art equipment will help you with this, which will make your wildlife watching experience truly unique. The most popular devices are cameras, quadrocopters, nvg, drones and, of course, binoculars that are indispensable for observation. Let’s take a closer look at each device. All wildlife watchers will agree that binoculars are the most essential surveillance gadgets, because human vision is not able to capture the smallest details, especially at long distances. However, binoculars will not help you in observing animals at night, and in fact, many animals are nocturnal. In this case, you cannot do without thermal imaging binoculars. Thermal imaging binoculars are devices that expand the boundaries of your vision. Day or night, bright sun or thick fog, it does not matter if you use thermal binoculars. It works on the principle of determining the thermal field of an animal and its subsequent reflection against a contrasting background of a chilled field of the environment. Modern thermal imagers provide detailed rendering of objects at a distance of up to 1800 meters, high-precision laser rangefinders, built-in photo and video recorders, and full integration with mobile devices. A wide range of thermal imaging binoculars for wildlife observation is available from many American manufacturers of night vision devices and optical and optoelectronic devices, which are suitable for both professionals and amateurs.
Conclusion
To sum up: modern devices will make your wildlife viewing sessions much more productive. You will take a fresh look at the world of flora and fauna with high-tech instruments and get incredible pleasure from such an observational experience.