/hob/ - Hobbies

>>62667
Here are the recent books I bought that I was talking about

>>62668
I've been interested in getting into birding recently. Thanks for the recommendations OP.

I was interested in this hobby nearly 10 years ago, I bought a field guide for my state and some binoculars, but then my anxiety overcame my desire to have fun. I was constantly worried about using binoculars outside in public; what if someone sees me, a weird adult male all alone, outside and gazing through binoculars? If anyone happens to see me and if any children or succubi are anywhere nearby, they'll think I'm a pervert on the prowl and will call the police or beat me up or record me to "expose" me online. Even if it's unlikely, the possibility creates too much anxiety for me to dare such activities.

I had hopes of searching for and finding all the birds in my field guide's check list, treating it like filling out the Pokedex in Pokemon games, but alas I am just too cowardly to have fun.

>>63909
Anxiety like yours prevents me from doing anything at this point

>>63909
OP here. I never had this problem in fact most people like to strike up conversations. Usually its just the old people since there the only ones who do this activity. I mostly just go on trails anyhow when I go out. Cant imagine anyone really paying you any attention outside of just seeing your binos. This is also coming from someone with pale skin , a shitty mustache ,and long unkept hair underneath a cap.

>>63909
The angles are all wrong, no one thinks birders are perverts because they look up. Birding around high rise buildings may be different, but wild areas have better birding

I watch deer out my window with binoculars sometimes. I should give birds a try.

>>63917
shhoot them eat them, tasty tasty doe flank

I don't really get birding.
After watching a bird for like a minute I am super bored and ready to do something else.

I've been birding for many years and been to almost every continent. You can ask me any questions if you like.
Here's a picture I took last year of a kingfisher. I'm still a bad photographer.

>>63987
you dont get curious at which birds have which names?

>>64447
how do i get started, do i get a bird field guide? I love birds but dont know anything about their names

>>64450
Yeah, you should definitely get a field guide for wherever you live and just leaf through it to familiarise yourself with what birds you have around you. Also look up what sort of habitats you have where you live, that way you know if you should be looking for shorebirds and herons if you live near water, or passerines if you live near forests, etc.
If you aren't familiar with phylogenetic trees and how living beings are sorted into species, genus, family, order, kingdom, phylum, etc. you should look it up first to avoid confusion.
This site has every bird species organised phylogenetically: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species
I suggest looking to see what birds you find interesting or familiar and investigating that family— seeing its different members, what they look like, what they eat, where they are distributed. If you're interested, you will develop a good knowledge base of bird forms in your area (or wherever interests you). Eventually you will get a feel for it and be able to identify birds quickly.

>>64452
thanks for the advice ill get a local field guide

I like staring at animals in general, but not too much, because i don't want to be rude.

>>64503
I stare until they submit or confront me.

>>64450
just get a sibley or peterson field guide that is located wherever you are.

I want to get more into this hobby. I want to try and start enjoying my life in isolation. I always felt too guilty to even try but I realize this is unhealthy and massively limiting. I felt like the only excuse I could give my parents was that I was too depressed to handle wage slaving, which is true, but if they see me enjoying myself doing things they won't believe I am too depressed to handle wage slaving and will start pressuring me to slave again. This happens any time I show any hints of life so I mostly just stay in my room all day, but this is no way to live. I want to go out and start camping, although I would sleep in my car I think and try and go on some hikes and find some birds. I would also like to get a canoe and go birding on water as that is a comfy way to do it, but they are expensive. Even building one myself would be expensive just because long pieces of wood are expensive and hard to find and I don't think I could do it without a table saw. I have a circular saw but for doing the gunwales it would be too difficult to slice all that length.