This is Bird Note. As a young child, Ken Kaufman ventured into his neighborhood in search of the

tigers, bears, and dinosaurs who read about in nature books, but quickly found that Indiana

doesn't have those. So six-year-old Ken said his sights on the next best thing. I decided I would

take a day or two and figure out what these birds were out there in the yard.

And it took me a couple of weeks to figure out the difference between a grackle and a starling.

But once I had that down, I was the only person on the block who knew that.

Though he's now a world-renowned birder and field guide author,

Ken says his progress was slow.

It was difficult to find resources for identifying the birds he saw.

Getting into birding is much easier than it was when I started.

You can go online and find recordings of almost every bird species in the world.

Today's novice birders have access to mobile apps and websites that put photos, bird calls,

and range maps at your fingertips.

Whatever tools you choose, Ken says there's no substitute for getting outside and experiencing the birds for

yourself. That direct connection, I think, is really important. Paying attention to the birds

around you is going to make your life more three-dimensional and more exciting, and they can

bring more beauty into your life, and I would just urge everyone to try it.

You don't have to become a serious birder.

I would love to have everyone in the world

just appreciate the beauty that's out there

and just the wonder of these little creatures

that we share this planet with.

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