By Ranger Jasmine.
People may ask ‘how often do you go bird watching?’ but my simple answer to that is ‘I dont go bird watching. I am birdwatching. Birdwatching is a state of being, not an activity.’ In day to day life, I am always on the lookout for our avian friends. I don’t mean to accidentally interrupt my friends and family mid-conversation by suddenly pointing and gently shouting ‘Buzzard’. But it is something that is very consistent and constant in my life.
If you find yourself thinking you’re a ‘bad birdwatcher’, remind yourself that there is no such thing. If you are actively looking for birds on your walk round to the shops or your days out to the beach then you are a successful birdwatcher. And you should probably give yourself credit for how far you’ve already come. You most likely know the names of many different birds such as a Robin and a Swan, and you can tell the difference between them. Yes, there are many birds which are harder to distinguish between. Little brown jobs, as they are very often called, are difficult to tell apart at first. But the more practice you get by just continuing to be a ‘bad birdwatcher’ the easier you will find it.
Start small. Notice their shape, their size and their colours. Even just small differences that you begin to notice will help hone your skills. Did that bird look exactly like a Blackbird, but a different colour? Well, then it could be a Thrush, Fieldfare or Redwing. And just by noticing that it looked different to a Blackbird is the first step to becoming a brilliant birdwatcher. Even to this day I will be out, and the first thing that comes out of my mouth is ‘well that looks different’.
Some top tips that I would suggest are to invest in some binoculars if you are able. They don’t have to be top of the range and expensive. They will help you gain a closer look at each bird and notice their more distinguishable features which will help you identify them. Something that I have always done myself, is get yourself a bird identification guide and bring it with you on walks. This is so that after seeing a bird that you’re not familiar with you can flick through the guide whilst it’s still fresh in your mind rather than relying on memory. Again, if you think you’ve seen something that’s similar to a blackbird, start there and flick through until you find what you think you’ve seen. These bird books will be organised into different ‘types’ of birds and so similar ones will be grouped together making it easier to find what you’re looking for.
Another really helpful tool we have available to us right now is social media. Join some beginner bird watching groups on facebook, follow some local photographers or projects like Bird Wise. The more exposure you have to images of birds, the more characteristics you will memorise that can help you identify in the future. And if you’re still stuck on identifying the bird you’ve seen, ask! Even better if you’ve managed to get a photograph of it, even a blurry one on your phone can be a great tool for people to help you identify it.
Bird watching is something that we at Bird Wise love, and believe us when we say we never tire of people asking us questions. Simply because we want to help share our passion with other people. And no question is a silly question. We all had to start somewhere, we were all in the same position that you find yourself in now. So please, ask away, send us blurry pictures, come along to one of our pit stops or walk and talks. And we will help you on your journey to becoming a brilliant birdwatcher!