New to birding? Learning how to look for and identify birds can feel a little overwhelming. We hope that our “Breaking Into Birdwatching” webinar below can help a little!
Below are tips to help you start looking for and identifying birds! Many of these are discussed in more detail in the above YouTube video.
Listen. Birds are often heard before seen. Listen for bird sounds or rustling in the foliage. When you detect a sound, keep your eyes glued to the area and look for movement. Have binoculars ready in hand.
Don’t look away. When you spot a bird, keep your head and eyes pointed directly at it while raising your binoculars. Avoid looking down before raising them to your eyes.
Pre-focus your binoculars. Suppose you were just looking at a distant hawk and now you hear rustling in a nearby bush. Focus your binoculars there immediately, even if the bird is hidden. This way, you’ll have a nearly-focused view when the bird appears, maximizing the time you can observe it.
Practice using your binoculars. Pick an object in the distance such as a leaf or a knot in a tree. Practice keeping your eyes on the object while you raise the binoculars to your face.
Develop your peripheral vision. Practice looking straight ahead and noticing movement in your periphery.
Focus on size, shape, and posture. Notice the overall structure of the bird. How long is the tail? What size and shape is the bill? Is the bird thin or bulky? Is its posture upright or horizontal? Compare its size to something nearby like a leaf or a fence post.
Carefully note head and face pattern. Are there distinct markings? Note features such as bill color, eye color, eye-ring, eyebrow, etc.
Notice plumage patterns. Markings like eyebrows, eye-lines, crown stripes, rump patches, streaky chests, and wing-bars appear on many non-related birds. Getting to know commonly occurring patterns helps you learn which clues to notice to help with identification.
What is the bird doing? Notice behavior and habitat. Is the bird under a bush, on a rock, or high in a tree? Is it alone or in a flock? Is it perched or on the move? Is it soaring or flapping?
Observe flying birds. Your natural instinct may be to stop watching a bird once it takes flight. Instead, follow the bird until you can’t see it anymore. Flight style can be crucial to identification.
Edge habitats. Different birds prefer different habitat types, but an “edge habitat” – the area where the landscape changes – often attracts a diversity of species. Look for birds where a meadow meets a forest, where farmland meets a row of bushes, a riverbank, or simply the side of a road.
Go to the water. Water often attracts birds. Beaches, shorelines, rivers, ponds, and wetlands can all have a wide variety of species.
Look here, there, and everywhere. Once you consciously start looking for birds, you’ll notice them everywhere. Almost any spot can be a good spot to look for birds. Keep an open mind – even parking lots can surprise you!
Mornings and evenings. Birds can be observed any time of the day, if the weather isn’t extreme. However, birds are often quite active in the morning after waking up and in the evening before roosting for the night.
Weather matters. Extreme temperatures, wind, or rain may result in less bird activity. In these conditions, birds may be hunkered down and stationary, making them difficult to see.
Time of year matters. Many birds migrate to different parts of the world, depending on the season. Familiarize yourself with migration and distribution maps for your area’s common birds – many field guides include these maps for each species.
Songs and calls. In general, birds have two types of vocalizations – songs and calls. However, calls can be divided into numerous types – contact calls, alarm calls, flight calls, scold calls, etc. Typically, birds sing in spring and summer, but call year-round.
Start with a bird you see daily. Learn the vocalizations of a bird that lives around your house. Perhaps its an American Robin? Or a House Finch? Any bird you see daily will do. The repetition of actively listening to its calls and songs every day is key to memorization.
Use mnemonics. When learning a call or song, using a mnemonic may help. Thinking of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet’s call as a typewriter, a Wrentit’s song as a bouncing ball, or Bushtit chatter as tiny tambourines is a fun way for bird sounds to stick.
Stretch and train your ears. Challenge yourself to be still and listen for the quietest or most distant sound you can make out. Training your ears in this way will help you pick out sounds you may have otherwise missed.
Familiarize yourself at home. Field guides can be overwhelming. Most often, they are in taxonomic order and grouped by bird families. Get acquainted with yours before taking it out in the field.
Learn bird families. Species within a bird family can share many similarities like posture, feeding habits, bill shape, habitat, etc. Understanding this concept is helpful when looking through your guide. For example, sparrows are often found on the ground, while warblers are often in trees, and flycatchers tend to fly out and back from a perch.
Check your range map key. Learn how to read the color-coded range maps in your guide, and check to see if a bird is expected in your location at that time of year.
Use all available clues. Don’t focus only on color and field marks. Behavior, habitat, and range are equally important clues.
The bird is the authority. Look at a bird for as long as you can and make mental notes on detail. Resist the urge to look in your guide while you have the opportunity to observe the bird itself.
Do no harm. When observing a bird, notice its response to you. If the bird appears alarmed or darts away, you’re too close. Be patient. Remaining still and quiet is the best way to see birds.
“Pishing.” Pishing is the act of making a “pshhh-psh-psh-pshhh” sound with the intent to attract birds. This sound mimics the scolding calls small birds make while harassing a predator. When a bird hears this sound it may come closer to investigate. Pishing in moderation isn’t considered bad form, but the reality is – it tricks birds which results in them expending more energy than they would have. If not overdone, a little pishing likely won’t cause much harm, but we’ve found that waiting quietly can pay off just as well!
Using playback. You may see someone play a bird song or call in order to attract a bird. This can elicit an extreme reaction from a bird who thinks it needs to chase off a potential rival. We recommend refraining from using playback to attract birds.
Using apps to confirm sounds. While in the field, if you use an app to confirm a sound you hear, make sure to play it quietly so the bird can’t hear the playback.
Be respectful of the land. Never trespass on private property and obey signs at parks and preserves.
Go slow. Time spent observing a bird you’ve already identified is always a good investment.
Join a local bird walk. Locate your local bird club or Audubon chapter and sign up for a field trip. Birders love sharing knowledge, so ask questions!
Utilize your local library. Test out which field guides and bird books you like best.
Put a feeder up. Feeders offer a chance to study birds up close.
Study eBird. Type your county into the “Explore” page and become familiar with regularly seen birds. Browse your area’s top hotspots.
eBird Quiz. Select your current location and time of the year to quiz yourself on birds you could encounter in the field.
Peruse The Macaulay Library. Filter photo results to your county and familiarize yourself with local bird photos and audio.
Get to know your common birds. Read about them in your field guide and on All About Birds. Building a solid foundation of common birds is key to becoming a better birder. Also, learning details about a common bird’s appearance, sounds, and daily life enhances appreciation!