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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Andy Hurley" data-source="post: 3178660" data-attributes="member: 86867">A good field guide is essential, I ask on here before going somewhere because there are lots of not so good ones around. Also trawl the internet for your destination and get info on the best places to go. (See also information wanted and local patch sections). I use the bird identification forum as a good resource to practice before I go somewhere. If I feel confident enough I give it a go. I try to say why I think its A and not B and any corrections or points to note that are not in my field guides, I scribble into the relevant section. Some people are excellent in this respect and you can learn a lot just by reading threads. When in a new environment, I take a lot of photos and carry a field guide in the car, so between locations, I can quickly look up what I've photographed, if I'm not sure. GPS on the camera helps when I'm sorting later on. I try to go through my daily photos before falling asleep, so my lists are fairly up to date for the next leg.</blockquote>