Posted by Sue Landsman on May.01, 2010

American robin. Photo Credit: Dave Menke, US Fish and Wildlife Service

It’s Spring, and the birds are out, loud and clear. The sounds of geese overheard sound through the dusk, and in the morning the trees are alive with the endless chatter of new arrivals. If you’re like me, you have every intention and desire to learn more about all the birds that you see and hear, but you find yourself thoroughly overwhelmed. There’s so many darn birds, and maybe you can identify a Robin and that’s about all.

There’s a few things you can do to help yourself out as you try and become familiar with the birds around you:

Use the Field Guide FIRST

Most people see a bird in the wild, and then try to identify it in a field guide, but by the time they get to the guide they’ve either forgotten what the bird looks like, or can’t find it in the numerous pages of similar-looking birds. Try the reverse. Consult your field guide for the ten most common birds of your area, and draw them. Note the shape of the body and beak, the color, and any distinguishing characteristics. Once you’ve trained your eye to know what to look for, you’ll suddenly see these birds everywhere. One you’ve drawn ten, draw ten more. Your drawings don’t need to be great, and you don’t need to show them to anyone.

Listen to What the Birds are Saying

You don’t have to be able to identify all the birds by their songs in order to gain an appreciation of their lives. Just like people use certain tones of voice in specific situations, birds do also. If you listen closely, you can tell whether a bird is scolding an invader, checking in with a mate, or screaming in alarm. You don’t even need to know which bird is making the sound to get a feeling for what he’s saying. If you get good at this, you can tell when a cat is passing through your yard, or when a bird is showing off for a female. This kind of understanding can really open up the world of birds to you.

Sit Still

This seems obvious, but many of us have a hard time doing it. Just as you’d get to know a new friend a lot better over a leisurely meal, you’ll get to know nature a lot better if you take the time to just relax and observe. Also, remember that you’re at the very least a disruption, and at worst a predator. If you’re moving around and making noise, many birds will fly away from you or at least not make noise. It’s a lot easier to spot birds if they’re relaxed and going about their usual business. So relax under a tree and pretend you’re part of the tree, or just a particularly fleshy flower, and listen and look.

Make Note of Who’s Where

It’s a lot easier to identify a bird if you note its behavior and where you saw it. Some birds will feed off the ground, others won’t. Some birds prefer the tops of tall trees while others prefer to scamper around in the brush. You can narrow down the type of bird you saw by where you saw it and what it was doing at the time. One particular bird (see if you can find out which) sounds like a large animal when it’s rustling through the dried leaves under the brush in the spring.

With a few field guides and a little savvy, you’ll be able to gain entry into the bird world in a satisfying and very doable way. Keep track of your progress and you’ll be amazed at how much you learn.

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Posted under Living, Nature and Environment.