Watching birds along the ocean shores

What is bird watching?

Bird watching is one of the common and well known activities in the study of wild animals this practice enables watchers to identify, classify or even study behaviors of birds. Bird watching is recreational activities which can be done by direct observation with the naked eyes or using devices which magnifies images for clear observation these are binocular and telescopes.

One of the student of The University of Dar es Salaaam watching birds at Mwalim Nyerere Campus in Dar es Salaam 

How bird watching can help in identification of bird species?

To answer this question let us consider the example below,

Identification of the common tern ( Sterna repressa ).

Non breeding common tern caught at oyster bay beach in Dar es salaam

Descriptions

The bird has black cap and pale grey upper parts, under part are washed pale grey, always have black bill but it may sometimes have a red bill with a black tips, Non breeding has the white fore crown and blackish bar across the lesser wing covert. when year old (1st year) are similar but may show few brown fringes above

Location Large number may be seen offshore in mixed feeding flocks, and at estuary roots rarely in inland areas.

why naturalists do identify birds?

Bird watching is one of the important work made by ecologists in understanding the composition and behavior of nature.