How to recognize a bird new to you ? (3 Viewers)

[Thegeezer9999]

I will be going on a few birding trips soon which will almost certainly introduce me to a whole lot more Irish-based and migrant birds which I have never seen or heard before, and I want to make sure I correctly recognise as many as possible. I struggle with seabirds and waders, and I will be encountering a lot of these. I usually either listen out for familiar and new sounds, and also make use of Merlin to identify potential birds in the vicinity. I also frequently record my observations onto a Merlin recording.
I am seeking tips on how and what to record for a bird you are unsure of. Do you carry around some kind of bird recognition book or chart ? Do you research the location in eBird or Opus and then review all the potential birds you may come across (pictures, recordings etc.) ?

Thanks to all who respond.

 

[Georgebirds]

I like to take a picture if possible, even a really really distant or blurry bad one if that's all I can get, then compare it to my bird books when I get home. I have one with photos and one with painted illustrations, usually comparing to both is helpful (if anything, I'd say the photo one confirms things slightly more often).
Last year I did carry a pocket-sized field guide around with me, but I found I wasn't using it much - time spent standing there studying the book was less time walking, looking for and at the birds - I decided I'd rather do that part at home afterwards.

If there's anything I'm still unsure of, I type the two possible species together into Google, and that usually brings up blog and website posts where experts discuss the differences and how to tell them apart. Adding 'summer' or 'winter' is often useful for waders, cos just as you think you've learnt them, they change!

Anything I still can't figure out, I post my rubbish picture on Birdforum and people here are happy to help!

 

[DMW]

The traditional method is to carry a notebook and write down details of plumage, structure, bare parts, behaviour, calls etc, ideally with sketches. It's an excellent discipline to develop as it makes you really look at birds in a systematic way. Then study a field guide and try to work out what you have seen.
For better or worse, the advent of digital cameras and now Merlin is making this a dying art. I can't argue that good photos and recordings of calls isn't a more reliable reliable record, but at the expense of developing critical skills.
Basically, for a beginner I would recommend going out with a notebook and field guide, and use a camera to supplement rather than replace these.

 

[Mono]

Swat up with a field guide before you go. Have a look on Youtube for videos, there are id guides and you can test your id skills. With luck you can sometimes find a live camera from your new destination. Also have a search on the ID forum for the species and see if you agree with the respondents.

 

[Patudo]

I'd look at recent Ebird reports to check what other birders saw - that'll give you an idea of what you might see. Then do a little swotting up on the net - if it's a reserve etc there's likely to be some useful info covering what you might see. If you want to be really keen you can then go to your field guide (or these days the internet etc) and look up the more regularly mentioned birds - you won't be able to memorize every distinguishing feature, but just get a feel for colour, shape, size etc.

When you're out in the field, take notes of any bird you see that you're not sure about (that interests you enough!) - I use a voice recorder myself but if you're good at sketching the notebook is great. I try to record basic bird type (wader, raptor, duck etc), impression of size, any field marks, flight pattern etc., then do my sleuthing back at home when there's plenty of time.

But frankly, I'm not too bothered about trying to identify birds a lot of the time. Just soaking in the atmosphere of a place that is so different from the cityscape I live and work in is enjoyable enough for me (or indeed scanning over a cityscape - as most of my birding is right in the middle of Central London). Searching for action and spectacle - in your area, maybe watching for flocks of waders, or hoping to see a merlin or peregrine suddenly appear and start chasing shorebirds - gives me more satisfaction and joy than trying to identify every last bird I see. Don't get me wrong - if something unusual registers, I do try to identify it, but in the main I'm birdwatching in what one might call its most uncomplicated form. Just watching birds do their thing.

 

[Thegeezer9999]

Thanks everyone, this is gold dust !! i am afraid I am hopeless at drawing so I think that one is out !! I would probably come back trying to find something resembling a dodo !
I like the idea of a notebook because I do use Merlin, and I have started voicing comments, however this is just something else to be edited out before uploading.
Using eBird to pre-investigate is something I do routinely now.
It is good to hear that I am not the only person who cannot memorize every feature and call of every bird (especially at my age !), and that there is a last resort to post a picture in here and ask for help.
I also take the point that you can get so tied up in identifying the birds that you could miss a lovely event like a chick being fed whilst you furiously google all about the bird in question.
Balance, research and as much field experience are what I am taking from this.

Thank you all for your advice, recommendations and support.

 

[HnehpetS]

May be a bit late now but, when I booked a trip to Costa Rica, the first thing I did was to get myself a guide book relevant to that area, which I studied before my trip, so that I could be a little familiar with the bird families I might see..... long beak, short beak, tail length, etc. I paid particular attention to the species maps which show what you might expect to see where. I then look at some youtube videos - trip reports or locals who provide a record of their local haunts. If you're lucky, there may be a webcam or two that you can watch and try to identify the birds that show. The more research, before your visit the better. When I arrived at my destination, I had no qualms about taking my field guide out to check identification.

 

[Thegeezer9999]

Never too late to impart pearls of wisdom!!

 

[R T]

I find comparing the unknown bird to birds you know useful.Try to get an idea of size..Note behaviour ie is flight straight or undulating?,and any calls or songs. Also be mindful of the habitat.
In my day you made notes in a note book.
But as suggested earlier a voice recorder would be useful, or maybe you could use a mobile phone in the same way and of course to record calls.
With confusion species ie Common & Arctic tern .or bar & black tailed godwit.
For example my first godwit was an immature and I didn't know the difference so I went to a field guide and made sketches of both with bullet points so when I see my next one I know what to look for.
It's useful to know the difference and therefore what to look for before you actually see it by consulting field guides or the internet before hand.
Bare in mind most of bird watching comes down to experience you just have to put in the hours, even then there will always be birds that go unidentified.
On an RSPB trip me and a friend see a flash of a greeny yellow warbler I say I think s it'was a willow warbler but maybe chiffchaff..My mate said it's good to see I'm not the only one to think maybe this ? , but I'm not sure.
It's good practice if it comes down to one of two species and you're unsure , to assume it's the commoner of the two.
I remember a wader at Frampton on an RSPB trip I said I think it's a curlew Sandpiper but could be a winter plumage dunlin what do you think ?, long grass meant you couldn't see the leg length.we thought best assume dunlin.. .Going back to the visitor centre we describe the bird and location just the location wes enough to confirm it was a curlew Sandpiper.
Little brown jobs are really tricky.
A good tip is if you have an unidentified wader it's probably a ruff.

 

[Thegeezer9999]

Thank you for sharing your experience