[Jodievdw]

How do you know which 'bits' of a bird to take note of for identification? I'm still at a fairly early stage of birding and there's still many, many birds I can't identify by sight, so I'm still reliant on scrawling copious notes in the field and trying to identify them with books later. Often I'll think I've captured the bird's main points, only to come home and realise I've left out an eyestripe, beak colour, or something else vital. Is this just a matter of practice, or is there a 'checklist' of things to note?

[Michael Frankis]

It varies from bird to bird what you need to note. So I'm afraid it comes down to reading your bird books and, basically, memorising them.

Michael

[Bluetail]

Hi Jodie. Basically, it's good practice to note absolutely everything you can and write it down in a notebook. And an annotated drawing is a worth a thousand words if you can do it (I can't). Start by learning the names of the standard feather tracts on a bird - there should be a diagram in the front of every decent field guide. Then, when you're confronted with an unfamiliar bird, you just work through the bird methodically from head to tail.

[Andrew Whitehouse]

As Michael has said, what to look out for on a bird obviously varies a lot. Having said that, I'd recommend paying close attention to the size and shape of the bill because this is often a very good clue to the family of the bird. Does it have a long thin bill like most waders, a spear-shaped bill like a heron or a short conical bill like a finch. Hopefully this can help make sure you're looking on the right pages in the book when you go through your notes.

[tony.hetheringt]

Hi all,
All this reminds me of my very first black gillie,many years ago.
I spent ages looking at the grebe section of my bird books, and thought I had found a new species,until accidentally finding it in the auk section.

[tom mckinney]

Learning your feather tracts is the way to do it.

And don't be embarrased about taking your field guide out with you. Only morons frown on that!

[Ranger James]

Originally Posted by tom mckinney

Learning your feather tracts is the way to do it.

And don't be embarrased about taking your field guide out with you. Only morons frown on that!

Good point Tom, the best way to posatively ID a bird from a book is to be able to compare it to the bird in the field. Silly that this practice is shunned!
Practice and patience help too! you'll soon find yourself IDing more common birds from less and less detail and more and more instinct.

Just a thought
James

[Brian Stone]

The usual excellent advice. Of course take a field guide with you. I really can't understand how the idea you shouldn't came about.

I know what you mean about always seeming to miss some vital feature. All you can say is next time you will note that feature whether it matters or not. Something easy to forget is bare part colour (legs, bill, eye ring) and another thing that can be useful to note is ratios, e.g. the bill is about 2/3 the length of the head.

I'll bet you can do an annotated drawing Jason. I really, honest cannot draw at all. But I can draw two circles for the body and head, a line for the bill, one for the tail and two for the legs. Then you can write down all the bits you can see describing them and pointing to the bit of the bird with an arrow if necessary.

This thrush-sized bird was singing outside my office window just now and I quickly noted some features. What is it?

[Charles Harper]

Somewhere I read or was told, but anyway I do, look at the face first, just like I do with people. Notice the facial pattern and colors. Just like for people, faces tend to be highly identifiable, because that is what we greet each other with.

Obviously, also, the first thing you are going to notice is any bold color or pattern, and it is important to pay attention to where, exactly, it is on the bird-- for instance, are the black stripes on the crown of the head only, or on the crown and nape of the neck, or on the nape and down onto the back, or on the upper back only?

And so forth....

[lassa8]

I just started in March, so I've seen a ton of birds I've never seen before with spring migration under way. The first thing I did was flip through my guide book over and over until I got somewhat familiar with all the different orders. When I'm in the field I try to remember what colours I see (and where), then I look for any markings that might help around the eyes and on the face in general, including the shape/colour of the beak, and lastly the colour of the legs, just in case. Seems to be working so far!

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Brian your bird sounds like a male Blackbird. Either that or it's the plans for a new water feature in your garden

[Brian Stone]

Originally Posted by Fifebirder

Brian your bird sounds like a male Blackbird. Either that or it's the plans for a new water feature in your garden

LOL!

[birdman]

There’s some fantastic advice there, Jodie, all of which you can be guaranteed works in the field – simply because it has been tried and tested by so many people.

You will eventually develop your own method, and your skills will improve very rapidly.

However, I would suggest there are two more things to consider.

First of all, there is no-one in the world who knows what every bird is. Or for that matter comes even close. We all struggle (particularly me!) with certain birds. Whereas one birder is familiar with gulls, and has real difficulty with raptors – the next can do the raptors, but not the waders – the next can do the raptors and the waders, but has no chance with warblers, etc. etc. etc. (In fact there’s a thread somewhere around where people own up to the ones they can’t do.)

The other thing is, even in the early stages, you will be familiar with some birds, and you can use these as benchmarks.

Knowing what a bird is, is as much about knowing what it isn’t. Once you notice that you know your mystery bird is a "pigeon", because it looks like a "pigeon" and not a "thrush" or a "parrot", then you will also begin to learn what "pigeon" markers to watch out for.

And most of all… use your books!

[Bluetail]

Brian, that's good advice about the drawing. I have been known to use that method on occasion along with the annotation "Bird wasn't really this shape"(!)

[Alastair Rae]

Originally Posted by Fifebirder

As Michael has said, what to look out for on a bird obviously varies a lot. Having said that, I'd recommend paying close attention to the size and shape of the bill because this is often a very good clue to the family of the bird. Does it have a long thin bill like most waders, a spear-shaped bill like a heron or a short conical bill like a finch. Hopefully this can help make sure you're looking on the right pages in the book when you go through your notes.

One tip I've had is to imagine the bill folded back at the base. Would it reach the eye? Sounds stupid but it does give you a fixed distance to judge the bill against.

I find that taking in details at a glance is one of the skills you acquire with practice. But there really is no substitute for knowing your birds so you know what to look for to distinquish similar species.

[Bluetail]

Originally Posted by Alastair Rae

I find that taking in details at a glance is one of the skills you acquire with practice. But there really is no substitute for knowing your birds so you know what to look for to distinquish similar species.

Especially when all you get is a brief view of the bird. One nightmare I dread (though actually chance would be a fine thing) is having to piece together a description of a rare warbler skulking deep in a bush when all you get are occasional one- or two-second glimpses. Then it really does help to know what features to home in on.

[tikey1949]

What has really helped me is getting a copy of good guide (I would
highly recommend Sibleys) and writing down all the categories in order. I actually put mine on a spreadsheet on computer but u could use a notebook too. I even put families and genus on mine but u dont have to get that elaborate. Anyway, when u see a gull for example, you can look in Sibleys and see whether it is likely that at that time of year what kind of gull would be in your area and then you can list it in that category under shorebirds. When you organize it you tend to pay more attention to detail and you eventually learn them. Call me methodical but it works. Also I would highly recommend you go on birdwalks w/experienced birders. Once they id for you it makes it easier the next time you see the bird or one like it. I just went on a walk where a forest ranger in charge of area was the guide. He gave an elaborate explanation why we only typically see 3-4 types of sandpipers in our area so next time i go i know that in all likelihood i am not looking for some obscure sandpiper. Make sense?

Originally Posted by Jodievdw

How do you know which 'bits' of a bird to take note of for identification? I'm still at a fairly early stage of birding and there's still many, many birds I can't identify by sight, so I'm still reliant on scrawling copious notes in the field and trying to identify them with books later. Often I'll think I've captured the bird's main points, only to come home and realise I've left out an eyestripe, beak colour, or something else vital. Is this just a matter of practice, or is there a 'checklist' of things to note?

[Den]

Originally Posted by Jodievdw

How do you know which 'bits' of a bird to take note of for identification? I'm still at a fairly early stage of birding and there's still many, many birds I can't identify by sight, so I'm still reliant on scrawling copious notes in the field and trying to identify them with books later. Often I'll think I've captured the bird's main points, only to come home and realise I've left out an eyestripe, beak colour, or something else vital. Is this just a matter of practice, or is there a 'checklist' of things to note?

Hi Jodie
A good way of taking notes about a bird would be to use the following headings in the same order every time you see a bird you cannot name:

General Appearance
Head
Upperparts
Tail
Underparts
Bare Parts
Voice

Always try to do a simple drawing of the bird showing any distinguishing features. A picture is worth a thousand words etc.
To learn the feather tracts,most ID books have a labelled picture of a bird's plumage on the inside of the cover. Photocopy it and stick it into your notebook to refer to.
Hope this is helpful.

[eal2004]

I'll bet you can do an annotated drawing Jason. I really, honest cannot draw at all. But I can draw two circles for the body and head, a line for the bill, one for the tail and two for the legs. Then you can write down all the bits you can see describing them and pointing to the bit of the bird with an arrow if necessary.

This is a good piece of advice. I put a lot of (unwarranted) pressure on myself to do everything precisely. I really like the drawing you attached and it gives me a good template to use. Thanks!