Guide to Birding

Birding is a new Hobby in The Lord of the Rings Online! This guide will get you started as you find hundreds of different birds throughout Middle-earth.

How to Start Birdwatching!

The first step to becoming a birdwatcher in-game is to find a Hobby Master and learn the Birding hobby. Hobby Masters can be found throughout the world, including The Last Homely House in the Hall of Fire, Arnfin in The Twenty-first Hall, Dol Amroth in the Havens of Belfalas, Henry Oakeshott in the Scholar's Stair Archives in Bree, and Brago Puddifoot by the Bywater Pool in The Shire.

After you’ve learned Birding you will receive a Basic Birding Kit in your inventory. Equip it when it comes time to look for birds! You will use a specific Hobby skill called Birding to start your search and find birds. Locate the skill by opening up your Hobby panel (done by clicking the Hobby tab on your character sheet) and dragging the Birding skill to an available space in your hotbar. Then, find a place where Birding is available and click the button.

Currently, Birding is possible in Forochel, Angmar, Ered Luin, Evendim, North Downs, Misty Mountains, the Shire, Bree-land, Lone-lands, Cardolan, Trollshaws, Swanfleet, Eregion, Enedwaith, and Dunland.

When you click on the Birding skill your character will begin making bird calls and there will be three times during the search that your character will raise a spyglass to their face. An animation of bird feathers will display as well when a bird might be spotted. When the feathers fly and your spyglass is up, click the Birding skill again! Once your full Birding attempt is complete you’ll see text on your screen telling you which birds if any you’ve discovered. After many Birding attempts in a region the area will grow cold and you'll need to travel to a different region to continue or wait for the cooldown to end.

Your Birding Collection!

There is a new tab in the Collections Panel that lists the hundreds of birds available to discover across Middle-earth. Once you’ve discovered a bird its entry will light up in the collection. Clicking on a bird will give you more information about where to find it and its habitat. Finding birds also completes Deeds that can be found in the Hobbies tab of the Deed Log (accessed with Shift+L or through the main menu). Completing some Deeds or leveling up your Proficiency will give you rewards, including Birding portrait frames, a Birding-themed outfit in various colors and more!

NOTES:

• Yes, you can have more than one Hobby! You can engage in both Birding and Fishing without issue. Make sure to equip the Hobby-related item!
  If you lose or delete your Basic Birding Supplies you can purchase another from any Supplier Vendor throughout the game world.