Bird watching

[StuartDH]

Can anyone help with our bird watching forum and general bird watching info? As part of the new 'How to...' series that we're currently developing for the new resources section of the website, we're building a guide to birdwatching.

We'd like to hear all your suggestions, tips and tricks, so please feel free to post your ideas here and we'll add them to the completed guide.

To start you off, here's what we've got so far:


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Where to start

Many birdwatchers start out by watching and feeding birds in their back garden or local park as this enables them to become familiar with frequent visitors and common species. Once you have learnt how to identify common birds, including their markings, behaviour and song, you should be able to easily spot the similarities and differences with other birds.

Find Good Sites

Start out by visiting a number of different sites, ideally different habitats such as woods, meadows, estuaries and farmland and you should soon develop a good idea of where birds can be found. As with most creatures in nature, a plentiful supply of food and water is usually a good place to start. Fields of crop, riverbanks, estuaries and lakes are all popular birdwatching sites and they can often attract many thousands of birds.

On a national level, the following books to finding bird sites could be useful...


Follow Patterns of Behaviour

Get to know the behaviour of birds and you will be able to predict their presence at particular sites almost like clockwork. Migration makes for interesting changes in the numbers and types of birds that can be found through the UK and even non-migratory birds are more easily found in certain months of the year. Similarly, many waders tend adopt patterns of activity that following the timing of the tides and can be found in increased numbers at certain times of the day.

Each of these areas will attract different types of birds but almost all will be frequented most often during dawn and dusk, when feeding is most likely to occur. Daybreak is an especially active period of the day and it is during the first few hours of daylight on warm summer days that high numbers of birds are often recorded at prime sites. Develop an ear for birdsong as you will probably find that you can hear birds long before you can see them.


Learn the Key Identifiers

You needn't know every detail of every bird to be able to identify different species. Some birders can confidently identify hundreds, if not thousands, of birds with only the most fleeting glance, as they have learnt to quickly recognise key identifiers such as size, colour, bill shape, flight pattern and song. These key elements of information enable them to rapidly categorise the birds into prominent groups such as Bird of Prey, Waders or finches and from there they can soon identify the exact type of bird, be it male, female or juvenile.


Equipment

Essentially, when you are just starting out in the birdwatching, you really don't need to buy any special equipment, as many birds can be seen quite clearly with the naked eye. This is especially true if you go to a bird hide or learn the essential tricks of camouflage and just wait patiently for birds to come close to you. However, if you are interested in finding out a lot out more about birds then there a whole host of items that can make learning a lot more enjoyable.


Clothing

Sooner or later you'll probably want to start venturing out in search of the more hidden species of birds that can be found in Britain's meadows, shoreline and forests. Depending on where you are going, you'll obviously need to be suitably dressed in preparation for inclement weather. Remember that whilst it may fairly mild as you walk about, it can soon get really cold when you're standing still for long periods.

Try to blend in with your surroundings by wearing natural tones and non-shiny materials. You needn't dress like Rambo, but it would certainly help to avoid bright colours, shiny materials and keep any sparkling buckles or zips well hidden. As a result, you should soon see a marked improvement in the number of birds that you can observe and they will most likely come a lot closer to you, before you are spotted.


Notepad and Pen

A simple but essential tool for recording your observations. If possible, try and get a waterproof pad and pencil so as to avoid a soggy notebook when the heavens open.

Guide Book

There are many guidebooks on the market and they can range from just a few pounds to more than £50. Obviously, if you're looking for a book that you can take out into the field then you?ll probably need something that is relatively compact and lightweight, however, it should also provide clearly annotated pictures or illustrations of British birds, ideally from several angles. To this end, you may want to avoid books that have 'Europe' in their title, as these are often filled with illustrations and information on many birds that you are unlikely to see in the British Isles.

Illustrations are extremely useful but it is often the text in the guidebooks that can provide a more clear confirmation as to the identity of birds, as it will usually describe the all-important information on patterns of behaviour, habitat etc.

In addition to guidebooks, the Internet has numerous resources for birding that can prove invaluable if you want to find out more about birds.


Binoculars

Whilst the naked eye will serve you well in many occasions, a good pair of binoculars will open up a whole new world of things to see in bird spotting. Take a look at our Buying Guide to find out more about purchasing your first pair of binoculars.

Keeping Records

If you fancy keeping records, you may like to sketch the birds and produce your own guide to their specific markings, size and colour. You could also produce a log of the number of birds that you have seen and whether or not they were sharing their environment with other birds or animals. Identify where you found the birds i.e. close to water, in bushes, trees or open ground. Note when and where you saw the birds and what they were doing at that particular time i.e. feeding or gathering material to build a nest. If possible, try and make a note of the bird?s song by describing what it sounds like i.e. a squeaking bicycle wheel, a metal file or the first three notes of 'God Save the Queen'.

Camera

If your ability to sketch birds tends to produce robins that look more like chickens then you may want to consider purchasing a camera. There is a huge amount of choice available but essentially you will probably want a camera that is compact, lightweight and with a optical zoom of at least 4x or 5x magnification. Digital cameras can be especially useful for this purpose as you can take large numbers of photographs without worrying about the added cost of buying film or developing your pictures.

Sound Recording

As you?ll no-doubt soon discover, it can be very difficult trying to describe the sound of birdsong by using only words. As a result, many birders use sound recording equipment to record audio tracks that can be played back at a later date.

Practice Makes Perfect

Keep learning and practicing your knowledge if you want to become really proficient and you should soon be able to develop a wealth of knowledge about British birds. Whilst learning on your own will help you to develop confidence in identifying birds you may also like seek the help of more experienced birders as they will likely share some nuggets of information that will enable you to develop your knowledge more quickly. In addition to the numerous birdwatching clubs that be found throughout the UK, there are also some great national organisation such as:

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Feel free to add comments, new sections, product reviews or any other relevant info.

Thanks

Stuart

[henrya]

Another good tip for beginners is, assuming you're the sociable type and not like Greta Garbo, to find an experienced friend to go out with a few times. They'll (with a bit of luck)give you no end of hints and suggestions, show you where to look, and tell you ways of identifying birds that the books don't/can't.

henrya

[StuartDH]

Also, as sounds can be a good way of finding birds before you've even seen them, if anyone has their own recordings or can suggest good ways of making recordings and identifying UK birdsong, links to birdsong sites etc, then this would be a good aid for beginners.

[Helen]

Invest in a good bird identification book (a field guide). One of the best guides on the market is "Bird Guide" by Mullarney, Svensson, Zetterstrom and Grant, published by Collins.

[StuartDH]

I got the same book as a free gift when I joined the RSPB a couple of years ago and it's proved to be great resource for identifying birds.

Here's a link to the publisher's info

http://www.fireandwater.com/search/d...htype=Keywords

[John]

Invest in getting one of the monthly magazines, Birdwatch or Birdwatching. My preference is for the latter. Plenty of advice and tips plus sites to visit, quizzes and all manner of story's to read.

There are also product reviews so you can read up the latest innovations in optics and Photography It caters for the novice through to the more experienced birder as well.

[treb]

BBC Radio 4 have a great section on garden birds, presented by Bret Westwood. They also have his series of programs for spring watch online. It's brilliant for beginners. Here's the link:]

BBC - Radio 4 - British Birdsong

See 'Related links' at the bottom - the first one is the radio shows.

Hope this helps,
treb.

[Rob_D]

I would suggest getting birdsong MP3's onto an MP3 player or better still your mobile phone and carrying that in the field. Then you can easily compare what you are hearing with the recording.

Time spent early on learning bird calls and songs is invaluable as it enables you to find and see so many more.

[snake]

A good list for new bird watchers.
Perhaps a few thing of what not to do might be included.
Respect for property, shutting gates, nesting birds ect.

[RobinP]

Join a local group, either RSPB or Local Bird Club and attend guided outings, you'll make friends and learn from experienced people.

[coasty]

For me the most underestimated thing is learning birdsong. I have always been amazed how few apparently experienced birders dont know even the most common birdsong, Lets be honest especially in woodland yu hear em but you dont see em,,,

[Bwrack]

Originally Posted by RobinP

Join a local group, either RSPB or Local Bird Club and attend guided outings, you'll make friends and learn from experienced people.

[ChrisJB]

Originally Posted by coasty

For me the most underestimated thing is learning birdsong. I have always been amazed how few apparently experienced birders dont know even the most common birdsong, Lets be honest especially in woodland yu hear em but you dont see em,,,

I couldn't agree more. I value my bird song/call knowledge as much as I value my I.D skills. I spend hours listening to recordings, trying to get to grips with as many species as I can. Thus, if I hear something I don't recognise, there is a chance it is something decent.
Landscape and habitat knowledge and what species occur where are useful for a beginner to get to grips with. Many species are so habitat specific that you can start narrowing things down very quickly. This helped me sort out marsh and willow tit when I was younger.

Regards, Chris

[Goatboy]

The web is a great resource to improve your id skills

This link has a fun quiz to help you id.

CBirding

and this site helps you narrow down unknown species.

Surfbirds.com - Online Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe

I'm sure other people can recommend some more.

Also don't be afraid to ask 'daft questions' on this forum. We all start somewhere and the members on here are very helpful.