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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mark Lew1s" data-source="post: 1617496" data-attributes="member: 63888">It takes a looooonnnngggg time to get any good at this hobby. So just enjoy it for what it is and enjoy the little steps you take each time you learn something. Don't worry about comparing yourself to the experts....but just remember, it took them years of practice and intense bird study to get any good.With regards to the original question....If you want to become a good birder, it's all about the binoculars. We are lucky enough to be joined by some genuine authorities on bird identification in birdforum, and I guarantee you that they learned their trade with a pair of bins, and quite possibly a notebook and pencil. They may well also use a camera now as well, but I reckon if they could only take one peice of equipment into the field they would take their bins.A picture captures a millisecond of a birds life....it can mislead, or show ambiguous features. Studying the bird allows you to see the whole bird, learn not only about how it looks, but also how it acts, what it sounds like, its jizz, etc etc. If you can take notes while watching the bird then all the better - you'll soon become adept at observing and noting at the same time......And don't worry if you do all this and you still can't come to an identification....you'll still have learned something. Imagine you find a small warbler and you note down it's olivey back, paler underparts, weak eyestripe, and that it is singing from the top of a woodland tree in spring. You refer to your book and realise that it was either a willow warbler or a chiffchaff....but you book also tells you to look out for primary projection, perhaps leg colour and face pattern, and above all, song. Armed with this knowledge you can go back and look for these features.....and most importantly, you can see how the features depicted in the book actually look in the field. That way, you will become a better birder.But far be it from me to tell anyone how to enjoy their hobby... people get enjoyment out of birding in lots of different ways. Just find the one that suits you best!</blockquote>

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