Bird ID basics (1 Viewer)

I am having almost a panic attack trying to figure out what kind of birds these are coming into my feeders. When you ID a species are you normally 100% sure before marking it down in a category or do you put it in a "maybe" list? Or am I turning something fun into a job 8-P

Follow-up question: Would people get mad if I posted pictures of some of these birds in the ID forum as to what I think it is just to get a sense if I am going in the right direction? Or is there another forum for that?

Take your time, don't rush at it, a decent bird field guide helps (and you have apps like ebird in the States of course), the birds are grouped in families which help you get used to narrowing down the id.
THEN, if you're still stuck, people on here are always happy to help, it's good to try and work it out for yourself first though :t:

Yes, thank you.

I guess I just did not know there are winter plumage and summer plumage.... so, when looking I am just not thinking about looking for the winter variety. I can tell you that it has been fun learning so far and that with the snow we have the birds love the seed!

I would second what Mr. R. Prior said already; working out for yourself first is a very good idea. It's like an exercise routine, the more you do it, the easier it gets. I would add that, as a first step, you pay attention to the birds' habits, especially their eating habits. Just a look at the bill, for example, can really help sort birds into categories (finches vs. insect-eaters for example).

Fall Warblers & Sparrows can create a lot of confusion so you are not alone

Worse comes to worse, you can use our I D sub-forum for an almost guaranteed speedy answer.

When you're not sure of an ID, and/or you suspect it's something "new", always take notes. Write down as many ID details as possible, including behaviour and movements (e.g. how does it fly, or does it flick its tail and if so, in what direction).
The best medium (especially in the field) for this is a notebook of sorts, though some folks use a dictaphone (or maybe a smartphone app or something) so they don't have to take their eyes off the bird. Photographs also help a lot, but aren't always conclusive.
At first impression, you might think that notes aren't really necessary, but unless you have a photographic memory (or managed to take a good picture), you'll start to doubt your ID later if there are no notes supporting it.

Thank you, everyone, for the wonderful advice!