How to Get a Hobby That is Healthy, Life-Long and Best of All, Absolutely Free
There are hobbies galore in the world, from stamp collecting (philately) to painting to watching movies to collecting memorabilia to the weirdest or the most mundane of things.
Some may not require you to spend any money, some may keep you healthy, some may be life-long, but few, and I mean really few, will have all these three together.
The one hobby that I am talking about is bird watching.
Sounds like the domain of experts, or those who are already interested in birds or too esoteric for regular people.
You are wrong on all counts.
Bird watching is the most enjoyable, healthy and refreshing hobby I can think of.
All it needs is trees (sometimes not even that), a book on birds and once you get hooked, a pair of binoculars (which come for as little as US$25).
And you are set for life with a hobby that will keep you intrigued, refreshed and healthy and of course give you unimaginable joy for endless days.
Just imagine your hobby will involve you walking through greenery, forests, tree-lined areas, parks and natural surroundings, with just a book and a pair of binoculars.
You may say, but hey, how many times will I see the same birds and what will I see them for.
Well here comes a small surprise, there are over 10,000 different species of birds in the world.
As for watching them, what with bird colouring, bird songs, bird behaviour, bird nesting, bird food habits, bird habitats, bird flying patterns and much much more, there is an entire world waiting to be discovered with just a single species of bird.
Now, imagine what is in store with thousands of species of birds.
You may now say that bird-watchers are experts who can recognize birds easily and know everything about them.
But every bird watcher began as a novice didn't they? You too will begin with the basics, but very soon you will have advanced enough to be able to identify birds with just a glance, and even start recognizing bird-songs.
Some of you may say that you live in congested cities with no birds.
Once again I will have to say that you are very wrong indeed.
Full blown congested cities also have surprising variety of birds.
As an example London has 357 different species of birds, Houston has 235 species, Delhi has over 400 species and Madrid has over 230.
In fact you will find a large number of birds right in your backyard.
You just need to wake up a little early one day and sit with a writing pad and a pen and a pair of binoculars.
You will be surprised at the number of birds you spot.
And this is just the beginning, as you become better and better you will be able to recognize birds even as they fly past or by their song.
Just walking the fresh morning air and taking in the beautiful sights is enough to invigorate you, and if you also see a few beautiful birds your joy will be manifold.
Birds can be extremely beautiful and extremely interesting.
The European Roller, a reasonably common bird, has a rainbow of colours to display, the golden orioles are so strikingly beautiful that your jaw will drop.
These are just two species that come to mind right now, there is such a treasure trove just a little way out of your home that you will be amazed.
Also, here are just a few interesting facts about birds.
The woodpecker actually has a tongue that is a few feet long.
It is kept rolled up inside the spaces of its skull, and comes out completely when it has pecked through the bark of a tree and its tongue is exploring for grubs and insects under the bark.
The swift never touches the ground for its entire life, and only falls down dead to the ground.
There is so much more to discover and enjoy about birds that I can't even begin to touch the tip of the proverbial gigantic iceberg.
To get started just visit the website of your local bird-watching group.
Another good way to begin is by typing in 'Bird Book and your city/region name' (Eg.
Bird Book New York) in Google, and you will get enough information to order your first bird book, and then get off to a quick start as a bird-watcher.
The world of birds is an endlessly exciting one, and it costs nothing and needs nothing, yet it gives you so much that you will begin to wonder how you had ever lived, before becoming a bird-watcher.
So, start off right now, and type in 'bird-watching' in Google and click on a few links.
It is of course understood, that as soon as you are offline, you should step out and just observe the birds you come across as you walk, you will be surprised by their variety and the charm and intrigue of their undiscovered world.
Some may not require you to spend any money, some may keep you healthy, some may be life-long, but few, and I mean really few, will have all these three together.
The one hobby that I am talking about is bird watching.
Sounds like the domain of experts, or those who are already interested in birds or too esoteric for regular people.
You are wrong on all counts.
Bird watching is the most enjoyable, healthy and refreshing hobby I can think of.
All it needs is trees (sometimes not even that), a book on birds and once you get hooked, a pair of binoculars (which come for as little as US$25).
And you are set for life with a hobby that will keep you intrigued, refreshed and healthy and of course give you unimaginable joy for endless days.
Just imagine your hobby will involve you walking through greenery, forests, tree-lined areas, parks and natural surroundings, with just a book and a pair of binoculars.
You may say, but hey, how many times will I see the same birds and what will I see them for.
Well here comes a small surprise, there are over 10,000 different species of birds in the world.
As for watching them, what with bird colouring, bird songs, bird behaviour, bird nesting, bird food habits, bird habitats, bird flying patterns and much much more, there is an entire world waiting to be discovered with just a single species of bird.
Now, imagine what is in store with thousands of species of birds.
You may now say that bird-watchers are experts who can recognize birds easily and know everything about them.
But every bird watcher began as a novice didn't they? You too will begin with the basics, but very soon you will have advanced enough to be able to identify birds with just a glance, and even start recognizing bird-songs.
Some of you may say that you live in congested cities with no birds.
Once again I will have to say that you are very wrong indeed.
Full blown congested cities also have surprising variety of birds.
As an example London has 357 different species of birds, Houston has 235 species, Delhi has over 400 species and Madrid has over 230.
In fact you will find a large number of birds right in your backyard.
You just need to wake up a little early one day and sit with a writing pad and a pen and a pair of binoculars.
You will be surprised at the number of birds you spot.
And this is just the beginning, as you become better and better you will be able to recognize birds even as they fly past or by their song.
Just walking the fresh morning air and taking in the beautiful sights is enough to invigorate you, and if you also see a few beautiful birds your joy will be manifold.
Birds can be extremely beautiful and extremely interesting.
The European Roller, a reasonably common bird, has a rainbow of colours to display, the golden orioles are so strikingly beautiful that your jaw will drop.
These are just two species that come to mind right now, there is such a treasure trove just a little way out of your home that you will be amazed.
Also, here are just a few interesting facts about birds.
The woodpecker actually has a tongue that is a few feet long.
It is kept rolled up inside the spaces of its skull, and comes out completely when it has pecked through the bark of a tree and its tongue is exploring for grubs and insects under the bark.
The swift never touches the ground for its entire life, and only falls down dead to the ground.
There is so much more to discover and enjoy about birds that I can't even begin to touch the tip of the proverbial gigantic iceberg.
To get started just visit the website of your local bird-watching group.
Another good way to begin is by typing in 'Bird Book and your city/region name' (Eg.
Bird Book New York) in Google, and you will get enough information to order your first bird book, and then get off to a quick start as a bird-watcher.
The world of birds is an endlessly exciting one, and it costs nothing and needs nothing, yet it gives you so much that you will begin to wonder how you had ever lived, before becoming a bird-watcher.
So, start off right now, and type in 'bird-watching' in Google and click on a few links.
It is of course understood, that as soon as you are offline, you should step out and just observe the birds you come across as you walk, you will be surprised by their variety and the charm and intrigue of their undiscovered world.
