Eye For Birds 



If youVe ever driven through 

 coastal North Carolina in the fall, 

 youVe probably caught yourself 

 gazing at the flocks of birds that 

 fill the sky 



You may not have been able to 

 identify them ; but that doesn ; t 

 matter. You were bird watching all 

 the same. 



That ; s how Bob Hader, a retired 

 professor of statistics from North 

 Carolina State University got 

 started. 



Hader has been bird watching 

 since 1959 when he built a house 

 near what was then the outskirts 

 of Raleigh. Birds flocked to his 

 heavily wooded yard in such num- 

 bers that he bought a bird book 

 and binoculars. 



Since then, Hader has turned a 

 hobby into a passion. He 7 s traveled 

 the country looking at birds. For 

 15 years 7 he organized the Audu- 

 bon Society's Christmas count of 

 birds in the Raleigh area. And he ; s 

 even written a pamphlet, Checklist 

 of Birds for Raleigh. 



He's not a scientist or a 

 photographer. And he's not out to 

 add one more bird to his list of 

 sightings. 



Instead, Hader takes pleasure in 

 just watching, identifying and en- 

 joying birds. 



"Birdwatching is a recreation for 

 me. It ; s a way to be outdoors, get 

 some exercise and do something 

 interesting/ 7 Hader says. 



"A lot of birders enjoy listing 

 birds. I ; d sooner go to the area just 

 to see what's there/ 7 he says. 



Coastal Carolina is one of 

 Hader ; s favorite places for watch- 

 ing his feathered friends. 



"In the fall, you 7 ll see plenty of 

 shorebirds. And if you 7 re lucky 

 enough to get down there after a 

 cold front, you 7 U see plenty of 

 landbirds and hawks, 77 Hader says. 



Lake Mattamuskeet is a prime 

 spot for watching waterfowl. But 

 he warns, "Get there before the 

 hunters do. 77 



Hader does much of his bird 

 watching by car, stopping every 

 now and then to scan the horizon 

 with his binoculars or telescope. 



If you 7 re interested in bird 

 watching, Hader has some simple 

 advice. You don't need a lot of fan- 

 cy, expensive equipment, he says. 

 Inexpensive binoculars will do. 



Then check your local bookstore 

 for a good guide to birds. 



The N.C. State Museum of Nat- 

 ural Science 7 s Tail of the Whale 

 Bookstore offers this selection: 



Birds of the Carolinas, by Eloise F. 

 Potter, James F. Parnell and 

 Robert P. Teulings, $14.95. 



Autumn Land Bird Migrations on the 

 Barrier Islands of Northeastern 

 North Carolina, by Paul W. Sykes 

 Jr., $5. 



Checklist of North Carolina Birds, a 

 pamphlet by David S. Lee and 

 Eloise Potter, $.25. 



Checklist of Birds for Raleigh, a pam- 

 phlet by R.J. Hader and Harry 

 LeGrand, $.25. 



The books and pamphlets are 

 available by writing the museum. 

 Please include 5 percent sales tax 

 and $1 for handling and postage. 

 Write to: Tail of the Whale Book- 

 store, N.C. State Museum of Nat- 

 ural Science, P.O. Box 27647, 

 Raleigh, NC 27611. 



