John Cantelo
Well-known member
Minimising identification errors
The thread I kicked off on the most commonly misidentified bird raised some interesting points and caused me to ponder the causes of misidentification. Since this is a slightly different approach I have started a new thread. I start form the viewpoint that, even if you're a birding genius (and I'm certainly not!), you will make mistakes at times. Awareness of the reasons why errors occur should help minimise them so have listed below the essential problems and have tried to suggest some possible remedies.
a) Lack of experience/knowledge This is blindingly obvious one I know Remedy: Get in as much field experience as possible, read the field guides, watch video footage, etc. I know it's not always possible to do so, but try to put in some 'homework' by reading up on the birds before you go out. Concentrate on the difficult 'species groups'. Better still try to go out with more experienced birders from whom you can learn. If it's a case of the blind leading the blind try playing "What's that bird?" - read one another field guide descriptions (the old Peterson was ideal for this) and see how quickly you can guess the bird. (You might have to omit the odd word, but as a kid on long tedious train journeys to Portland this certainly sharpened up my knowledge of bird ID). I'm reminded of this simple fact I bird somewhere (in my case USA, say) where I'm not as comfortable with the birdlife as I am in the UK. Also try to draw birds, however roughly, and get to grips with basic bird topography which gives you a framework on which to 'hang' your observations.
b) Poor views. Another from the school of the bloomin' obvious. Birds can be frustratingly elusive and optics can get misted up, rain coated etc Remedy: Get better views & keep your optics smudge free! Naff views are part of birding, but you can use damage limitation strategies. Getting it 'wrong' saps confidence and ruins reputations, so be more circumspect when "calling" a bird - - think "odd phylosc" rather than "Greenish" [see also points e) & f) below].
c) Pressure to identify birds I'm sure that I make more mistakes when I'm under some kind of pressure - and I'm sure others do too. This might be on a bird race or when birding with a particularly competitive friend or with someone who's keen to see a particular species. Remedy: Develop a more zen like attitude and don't feel that you have to identify everything. If you're not the first to find and identify a bird it isn't the end of the world - "He didn't spot the Barred Warbler first" won't be engraved on your tombstone!
d) Over reliance on a single feature Y W What might be called the 'if it’s a wader with red legs it must be a Redshank' school of birdwatching. With so many confusing field markers it's natural to latch onto the one apparently obvious clincher - its often what grabs your attention in the first place - but remember to look for other features too. Remedy: Develop a broader understanding of the whole range of identification features. If you do see those red legs think what else it might be and check list features that support or deny your ID. Just keep looking at the whole bird!
e) Preconceived ideas b Many birders have what might be termed the 'British school of justice mentality', that is once they've decided on what a bird is no amount on contrary evidence seems to shake their faith. For example, some birders I once tried to a non-breeding plumage Pacific Golden Plover adamantly refused to "see" the many pointers I alluded to since they had been told (wrongly) it was a full summer plumage bird. There's also the "It's October, there's an easterly and I'm in Norfolk syndrome" which inclines one to suspect a rarity on the thinnest of evidence. The ultimate in this context is the 'mass hallucination' scenario where folks "see" what their expectations induce them to see. Remedy: Try to come to every bird with an open mind. Look at the bird systematically and have the confidence to think or say "Why hasn't it got ……?" or, if you're more cautious, "I can't seem to make out …….." Ask yourself "Why it isn't the commoner alternative?" before rushing off to tell everyone of your find.
f) Lack of field skills Some birders find themselves in a position to misidentify due what appears simple due to a lack of field skills. For example, they 'work' bushes against the light (sometimes inevitable, I know) when a little more thought could have allowed them to do so with the light behind them. Remedy: Go out with more experienced birder to learn a few 'field skills'. Learn to birdwatch 'proactively' by looking further ahead as you stalk through bushes, be more patient and let the bird come to you, appreciate the angle of the sun, areas in the lee of the wind, etc.
g) Poor Optics Heavy fatigue inducing binoculars, optics scarcely better than a couple of milk bottles, etc. can make it hard to make out details. Although I don't think that this is such a crucial problem these days with relatively cheap good quality binoculars and good spotting scopes. Remedy: The easiest problem to resolve …. given the money! If you don't have the dosh then look out for good reconditioned second hand 'quality bins' from reputable specialist firms
Do I always adhere to the above points? Of course I don't! My feet are clay just like everyone else's, but I do try to keep such points in mind and act accordingly,
John
The thread I kicked off on the most commonly misidentified bird raised some interesting points and caused me to ponder the causes of misidentification. Since this is a slightly different approach I have started a new thread. I start form the viewpoint that, even if you're a birding genius (and I'm certainly not!), you will make mistakes at times. Awareness of the reasons why errors occur should help minimise them so have listed below the essential problems and have tried to suggest some possible remedies.
a) Lack of experience/knowledge This is blindingly obvious one I know Remedy: Get in as much field experience as possible, read the field guides, watch video footage, etc. I know it's not always possible to do so, but try to put in some 'homework' by reading up on the birds before you go out. Concentrate on the difficult 'species groups'. Better still try to go out with more experienced birders from whom you can learn. If it's a case of the blind leading the blind try playing "What's that bird?" - read one another field guide descriptions (the old Peterson was ideal for this) and see how quickly you can guess the bird. (You might have to omit the odd word, but as a kid on long tedious train journeys to Portland this certainly sharpened up my knowledge of bird ID). I'm reminded of this simple fact I bird somewhere (in my case USA, say) where I'm not as comfortable with the birdlife as I am in the UK. Also try to draw birds, however roughly, and get to grips with basic bird topography which gives you a framework on which to 'hang' your observations.
b) Poor views. Another from the school of the bloomin' obvious. Birds can be frustratingly elusive and optics can get misted up, rain coated etc Remedy: Get better views & keep your optics smudge free! Naff views are part of birding, but you can use damage limitation strategies. Getting it 'wrong' saps confidence and ruins reputations, so be more circumspect when "calling" a bird - - think "odd phylosc" rather than "Greenish" [see also points e) & f) below].
c) Pressure to identify birds I'm sure that I make more mistakes when I'm under some kind of pressure - and I'm sure others do too. This might be on a bird race or when birding with a particularly competitive friend or with someone who's keen to see a particular species. Remedy: Develop a more zen like attitude and don't feel that you have to identify everything. If you're not the first to find and identify a bird it isn't the end of the world - "He didn't spot the Barred Warbler first" won't be engraved on your tombstone!
d) Over reliance on a single feature Y W What might be called the 'if it’s a wader with red legs it must be a Redshank' school of birdwatching. With so many confusing field markers it's natural to latch onto the one apparently obvious clincher - its often what grabs your attention in the first place - but remember to look for other features too. Remedy: Develop a broader understanding of the whole range of identification features. If you do see those red legs think what else it might be and check list features that support or deny your ID. Just keep looking at the whole bird!
e) Preconceived ideas b Many birders have what might be termed the 'British school of justice mentality', that is once they've decided on what a bird is no amount on contrary evidence seems to shake their faith. For example, some birders I once tried to a non-breeding plumage Pacific Golden Plover adamantly refused to "see" the many pointers I alluded to since they had been told (wrongly) it was a full summer plumage bird. There's also the "It's October, there's an easterly and I'm in Norfolk syndrome" which inclines one to suspect a rarity on the thinnest of evidence. The ultimate in this context is the 'mass hallucination' scenario where folks "see" what their expectations induce them to see. Remedy: Try to come to every bird with an open mind. Look at the bird systematically and have the confidence to think or say "Why hasn't it got ……?" or, if you're more cautious, "I can't seem to make out …….." Ask yourself "Why it isn't the commoner alternative?" before rushing off to tell everyone of your find.
f) Lack of field skills Some birders find themselves in a position to misidentify due what appears simple due to a lack of field skills. For example, they 'work' bushes against the light (sometimes inevitable, I know) when a little more thought could have allowed them to do so with the light behind them. Remedy: Go out with more experienced birder to learn a few 'field skills'. Learn to birdwatch 'proactively' by looking further ahead as you stalk through bushes, be more patient and let the bird come to you, appreciate the angle of the sun, areas in the lee of the wind, etc.
g) Poor Optics Heavy fatigue inducing binoculars, optics scarcely better than a couple of milk bottles, etc. can make it hard to make out details. Although I don't think that this is such a crucial problem these days with relatively cheap good quality binoculars and good spotting scopes. Remedy: The easiest problem to resolve …. given the money! If you don't have the dosh then look out for good reconditioned second hand 'quality bins' from reputable specialist firms
Do I always adhere to the above points? Of course I don't! My feet are clay just like everyone else's, but I do try to keep such points in mind and act accordingly,
John
