When a bird of interest comes along, don't worry about trying to identify it straight away in the bird identification guide. By the time you look up for a second glance at the bird, it may have flown away. Remember, bird watching is about watching birds. Keep your eyes on the bird. Notice its feathers, patterns, behaviour, and just enjoy the beauty of the animal. Listen to its song, and try to work out what it's doing. Once it's flown off, then you can refer to a bird identification guide and take down any notes or sketches. Always make a note of the date, time, and weather conditions as this can also help identify the bird.
When listening to the birds song, look closely at its beak to ensure it isn't coming from another bird. CD's and DVD's are available that can help you learn which song belongs to which type of bird. Notice how it flies, eats, walks or jumps. Consider the habitat and time of year.
As you get more experienced, you will become accustomed to all this, and will start to notice the finer details. Exactly what type of bill the bird has. The feathers around the eyes. The length of its tail. Estimating size, relative to other breeds. How it behaves with regard to other birds nearby.
You may consider membership to a local bird watching group, or subscription to a bird watching magazine. There is also much information available on-line. But as a beginner, the only thing to really focus on is enjoying the experience, the fascination of watching birds in the wild, and to just get a general idea of what to look out for. As you get more experienced, everything else will come naturally, and hopefully the joy of bird watching will never diminish.
When listening to the birds song, look closely at its beak to ensure it isn't coming from another bird. CD's and DVD's are available that can help you learn which song belongs to which type of bird. Notice how it flies, eats, walks or jumps. Consider the habitat and time of year.
As you get more experienced, you will become accustomed to all this, and will start to notice the finer details. Exactly what type of bill the bird has. The feathers around the eyes. The length of its tail. Estimating size, relative to other breeds. How it behaves with regard to other birds nearby.
You may consider membership to a local bird watching group, or subscription to a bird watching magazine. There is also much information available on-line. But as a beginner, the only thing to really focus on is enjoying the experience, the fascination of watching birds in the wild, and to just get a general idea of what to look out for. As you get more experienced, everything else will come naturally, and hopefully the joy of bird watching will never diminish.