Top 10 Tips to Better Bird Identification
- Take notes - a good field guide is invaluable for identifying birds, but it can take a long time to find what you are looking for. If you see an unusual bird, jot down some detailed notes immediately- you never know when the bird will fly away. With your notes in hand, you can check the field guide at your leisure, or ask another birder.
- Learn some bird topography - most good field guides will contain a page at the front, displaying the detailed structure of birds. As you become more familiar with the different bits that make up a bird, you will be able to pick out these features in the field. This will improve your note taking and make for more accurate identifications.
- Observe the whole body - it is human nature to focus on the eyes of animals when we look at them. If you want to identify birds, you will need to observe the whole body. Be sure to also check out head-stripes, wing-patches, belly, legs and tail colours.
- Additional factors - can often help you to identify birds. Some similar species are impossible to separate in the field by sight alone. Additional notes can help: habitat, behavior and displays, nest shape and structure, and notes on flight characteristics, calls and songs are all key to identifying difficult species.
- Confusion species - if a field guide lists a bird as extremely rare or a “vagrant” (an unusual visitor), it is a good idea to double-check your identification. Make sure that you are not confusing your observation with a similar, more common, alternative.
- Sketches - can be invaluable for bird identification. If your sketch looks more like a Salvador Dali than a Tracy Pederson, not to worry. If you are familiar with basic bird topography, you can annotate your diagram with notes on colours and shapes, to make it a valuable ID tool.
- Estimating size - of birds in centimeters and inches is generally very difficult to do accurately, and can confuse identification later. Once you are familiar with a few common species of birds, it generally better to use their body size and shape by way of rough comparison.
- Plumage - is often very different between males and females. Juvenile and immature birds often display different feather colourations from adults. Also, birds regularly molt and replace their feathers - most often before and after the breeding season. Breeding plumage is often more colourful than non-breeding plumage, especially in male birds. This is an important point to remember - especially when trying to identify birds outside their breeding season.
- Photographs - can be a great help in identification. If you see a rare or unusual bird, a photograph may provide important evidence to back up your claim. Of course, getting a good photograph is a skill in itself.
- Spread the word - if you see something interesting, let other people know. Sharing information is a great way to get to see more rare and unusual species. The Cayman Islands Bird Club is a network of local individuals with a keen interest in bird watching - especially rare and unusual birds.
