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Message: <blockquote data-quote="deborah4" data-source="post: 1245582" data-attributes="member: 29880">Perhaps a couple of things worth mentioning:Birds are generally harder to ID from photos than in the field (as some of the more experienced birders have found when it comes to suggestions as to ID on the Forum!) - how much harder it must be for someone with less experience when they get home and try to wade through their shots!  Thus, taking a guide book with you into the field is helpful for those newer to birding as is taking notes whilst viewing the bird as this improves observation skills.Juvenile birds are always more tricky Distant and fleeting glimpses in the field are not always adequate for an ID whatever level of experience - obviously the more experienced can ID more quickly but many birds will still go unidentified if views inadequate.What may be a common bird in one location may be scarce in another so experience of individual species will fluctuate regardless. There are members of several years standing who still post photos of very common birds up for ID - often the same species time and time again - however, there will always be other (newer/less experienced?) members keen to show/practice their ID skills by answering these threads and there will be others who will just ignore them after a while finding it slightly irritating.  It doesn't matter a jot really, the bird gets ID'd, the responder is happy he got the ID right - everyone involved in the thread has got something out of it.I do think I'd ask myself, if I were a relatively 'newbie birder' that if a certain member gave me the impression a photo I'd posted or others had posted was 'too easy' why the same member then failed to help me out with common gull species of different ages for example or 'odd' looking warblers!It's all selective!</blockquote>

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