Welcome to Expert Village. My name is Wayne Petersen and I direct the Massachusetts
Audubon Society's Important Bird Areas Program for Massachusetts. Today we're here at the
Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, Massachusetts. And, we're going to be talking
about the equipment needed to get one started in birding. In addition to optics, binoculars and
telescopes, obviously having appropriate clothing is something that's worth thinking about. In the
same way that hunter's for example typically will wear camouflage clothing to make themselves less
conspicuous. Typically, you want to minimize your conspicuousness to birds. Light clothing,
white shirts, white t-shirts, that kind of thing is something that particularly in wooded or forested
environments can be somewhat disruptive and can alarm birds. So, generally speaking, darker
colors may be significant. Think about what the weather conditions are. Obviously, I have a hat on
here and in bright sun that can be a useful way to reduce glare, particularly if you're somebody who
wears eye glasses. Sun protection is very important, obviously from a health perspective. And, if
you're going to be spending a lot of time on the shore or in bright sun, hawk watching for example,
looking up at the sky, appropriate sun block is useful. Likewise, insects can be pesky, so that for
mosquitoes and black flies, you know basic insect repellent is often useful. In extreme
environments, in Alaska and in Arctic situations for example where mosquitoes and biting insects
can just be incredibly abundant, sometimes actually the use of a head net of various sorts, the same
sort of thing that fishermen often use, can be useful.
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