Become A Better Birder

Day 93: The most important thing you can learn if you want to be a better birder is what to observe. Note that I do not say, "what to look for." If you spend the fleeting seconds before your subject disppears into cover trying to look for something specific, you will blind yourself to observations you might have made when shown the overall picture. Take for example the two birds in the top picture. A novice birder might conclude that they are the same species because they are both orange and black, but might fail to note that one has a white breast and a red eye, whereas the other has orange wing markings and an eye stripe. When partially concealed by brush, it would be easy to make that mistake. Seen without interfering scrub or grass, the two are much easier to tell apart. The Towhee's wing markings are white; those of the Varied Thrush are orange. The Thrush's breast is mottled; the Towhee's white beneath rusty sides. Learn what field markings commonly distinguish species, such as wing bars, crowns, eye stripes, tail feathers, the colours of eyes, beaks and legs. You will find that your cursory glimpse registers these features more readily as you practice. And be patient with those who might insist that either or both these birds are American Robins. Take those poor uneducated souls under your wing and teach them to be better birders.