The siren song of Rhode Island birding 

As the climate becomes milder, the first signs of spring appear: longer days, green shoots and budding flowers, and, most importantly for some Rhode Islanders, chirping birdsong. The trills and warbles are not only avian conversation starters for other birds – “My territory!” or “Mate please?” for example – but are also a siren song for ornithophiles (birders). The birds are here. More birds are coming. 

On Aquidneck Island, one of the best places to see dozens of bird species is the Norman Bird Sanctuary, especially on one of their free Sunday bird walks. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the 300 acre property is truly a unique haven for birds because “we have 22 different plant communities, so we have a lot of habitat packed into these acres,” says conservation manager Jay Manning. 

But beginner birders should not feel overwhelmed by the concept of so many birds. The early spring months – March and April in particular – “is a lousy time of year if you are a seasoned birder because anything that was exciting – like a bird that took a wrong turn and was out of its range, or a young juvenile that missed the call to migrate – they’re dead. This is the dregs. But if you’re a beginning birder, this is the best time because birds are vocalizing more, and it’s helpful to learn these birds, so when it’s May and there’s a tidal wave [of different species], you can pick out the birds you know.”

The birds Manning references that are around to vocalize in early spring are known as “backyard birds” because they can be found year-round, and they are also common to see in suburban backyards and gardens. Michael Gow, one of the co-founders of the Ocean State Bird Club – the only bird club in Rhode Island – agrees that these are the best birds to start. Chickadees, tufted titmice, and woodpeckers are all very common, “and if you get twenty to thirty of those backyard birds down, you can pretty much eliminate throughout the year all the other birds,” he says. Twenty to thirty birds might sound like a lot, but people often recognize more birds than what they believed they knew; add on cardinals, mourning doves, blue jays, and robins to the list of backyard birds, for example, and soon the daunting twenty to thirty species is cut down significantly.

The bird club, which is now celebrating its 10th anniversary, is a good way to meet the Rhode Island birding community. There are 200 members in the club, but it’s non-exclusive; the club is open to the public and hosts free bird walks in various areas around the state. As for the “level” of birders, “in our club, you’ve got the gambit.  You’ve got people just starting out, people who are really good birders – like expert – who are at the top of their craft, and then people who love birding and who are good at it but not at that echelon who are really good.” Beginners won’t feel alone in the struggle to identify the plethora of bird species, and they can draw on the expert guidance of more seasoned birders for tips and tricks. 

“I always get laughed at when I say this,” Manning jokes, somewhat ruefully, “but if you’re a beginning birder, the best thing you can do is bird book in the bathroom.” In short, study. It’s key to be successful at birding (not necessarily key to enjoying it), and there is such a thing as birding success.

“Birding is competitive in Rhode Island, believe it or not,” says Gow. Some birders go out every day on the hunt, and one Rhode Islander, Tim Metcalf, who is on the board of the Ocean State Bird Club, is now credited for seeing the most species of birds in Rhode Island in one year. For those wishing to be more competitive at birding, the bird club now hosts the RI Cup Big Day Competition in early March, a one-day challenge to find the most number of bird species and rack up points per bird type, depending on if it is common or rare.   

Birding becomes more challenging throughout the year. May is the big spring migration when flocks of different birds pass through Rhode Island on their way to the boreal forests of Canada. These are known as “passerines.” In the fall, the reverse happens, when the passerines come down from the forests to head south for their wintering grounds, usually with hatchlings and young birds in tow. However, autumn birding tends to be significantly harder than spring because birds are in their winter plumage (which is well camouflaged) and “they tend not to vocalize, so you’re basing your birding on sight rather than just sound,” says Gow.  

Unique sounds and sights of all the different birds that live in and pass through Rhode Island are one common way people become interested in birding. “Most people who bird have a ‘spark bird,’ a bird that gives you the birding bug,” explains Gow. His spark bird was a killdeer the first time he noticed a group of those birds on the beach. Manning got into birding because he thought there “must be more than a seagull.” 

Another way beginning birders start up is by being indoctrinated into the birding community. Manning became addicted to birds while working in the Youth Conservation Corps at Trustom Pond; a worker there was a big birder and would encourage him to bird before the day shift started. Lauren Parmelee, the senior director of education at the Audubon Society of RI, caught the birding bug while studying biology in college and working at a nature center with “a crazy birder guy” whose enthusiasm was infectious.

Parmelee admits the birding “can be enjoyed on so many different levels” from backyard bird feeders to traveling internationally to go birding. But the key thing, in her opinion, is that “birds hook you into being outside, engaging with nature.” With more engagement in the world around them – even just the backyard – people start to notice and observe more and more about nature and the many connections occurring, even just outside the window. 

Birds are accessible for everyone. They are “something that anyone can see wherever they are,” Parmelee emphasizes, from the pigeons in Providence to the sea ducks of South County. While hiking for birds is a wonderful activity, people don’t need a lot of resources to enjoy bird watching; driving a car to bird walks isn’t always feasible, but birds can be found wherever there is food or a green space to land, like backyards, community parks, or in the case of pigeons and some gulls, even on city streets. 

And while it is true that many birds are active in the early morning, interested birders don’t need to act like an early bird to enjoy the show: “If you’re not a morning person,” Parmelee says, “grab a coffee and sit outside to bird watch instead.” Birding can be as easy and as accessible or as intense and challenging as each birder would like. 

To celebrate the spring migration in May, the Audubon will host free bird walks every day around the state, highlighting their fourteen wildlife refuges. Birders should be on the lookout for the brightly colored scarlet tanager or indigo bunting. Parmelee also hopes to provide programming to celebrate Female Bird Day on May 25-27, a time dedicated to the often underrepresented and misunderstood female birds.  

Resources for beginner birders:

Merlin is an app created by Cornell Labs of Ornithology. It listens to the user’s immediate surroundings on a bird walk and identifies bird song. Although it is known to be faulty from time to time, Manning solemnly imparts, “Merlin is a tool, not a crutch.” 

For birders interested in obtaining their own pair of binoculars, Gow recommends the Vortex Diamondback 8 x 42 (about $250 retail) as a decent set that won’t break the bank (the most expensive birding binoculars can run up into the thousands!). 
EBird is a website used by competitive birders to list their finds, but it can also be used as a resource for birders who can use the location citings to attempt to find specific bird species as listed.