While spotting birds is second nature to an experienced birder, the beginner might experience frustration when trying to learn this skill. With a little practice, anyone can become proficient at spotting birds in the field. The following includes a few hints for getting started.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: N/A
Here's How:
Make Yourself Comfortable
Birding should not be an endurance test, so make yourself comfortable in the field. If you are distracted by being too cold, too hot, or too wet, then you will have less attention for birds. Wear weather-appropriate clothing, and a hat with a rim for shading light from your eyes. Keep in mind that birding requires stealthy movements, so you won’t be as active as if you were going for a walk, and therefore an extra layer of clothing might be appropriate.
Heed the Forecast
If the forecast calls for inclement weather, then consider taking a rain check. Birds are generally less active during bad weather, and visibility can be poor. Even if you have weather-proof binoculars, you won’t be able to see very well if there is moisture on the lenses. Wait for drier and brighter conditions.
Sky Scanning
Sky scanning is a great way to take full advantage of your binoculars. You will be amazed at what your binoculars can pick out compared to the naked eye. Sky scanning is a great way to find raptors, gulls, migrating waterfowl, and other species that spend a lot of time in flight. Sky scanning involves using your binoculars to search for birds flying at higher altitudes. Depending on the filed of view for your binoculars, it does not take long to scan the entire sky. Its worth undertaking a sky scan at regular intervals during a birding outing since new birds are likely to emerge on a regular basis.
Stealth
Birds naturally become alarmed by intrusions of large animals (such as a birder). Slow and cautious movements are less likely to frighten away any birds in the vicinity. The sensitivity of birds to the presence of human observers depends on a variety of factors, and varies between species. Even the most human-accustomed species won’t tolerate being approached much closer than 20 yards or so. In addition to slow, deliberate movements, birders can increase their stealth by making observations from behind objects such as shrubs which can serve as partial natural blinds.
Patience
Almost everywhere you go, you’ll find birds. So if you don’t immediately see any birds where you are, just wait a few minutes. In the meantime, use your binoculars to conduct a sky scan or scan some nearby vegetation. Birds can often be found by scanning the outline of nearby shrubs and trees. The edges of shrubs and trees offers a greater density of potential perches and more visual contrast for spotting birds.
Listen
Most often birds can be heard before they can be seen, especially during the spring and summer. If you don’t see any birds in your vicinity, just concentrate on listening for them. By listening for birds, you may find there are some birds close to your location but hidden from direct view. There could be some sparrows in nearby shrub, or some warblers in a nearby tree, just hidden out of view. By listening for birds, you might subsequently them with binoculars after minor changes in your location and viewing angle.
Use Peripheral Vision
Sometimes birds are vocalizing nearby but finding them can be difficult if the vegetation is structurally complex. Using your peripheral vision is a good technique for locating nearby birds under these conditions. Switching to peripheral vision will not allow you focus your vision, but it will allow you to pick out movement – like the silhouette of a sparrow foraging in a nearby shrub.
Stay in the Car
Giving advice to stay in the car might seem counter-intuitive for spotting birds during a field excursion. Yet scientific studies have repeatedly shown that birds and other wildlife are more disturbed by pedestrians compared to motorized vehicles. Vehicle observations are sometimes the best way to observe species especially susceptible to human disturbance. Several manufacturers produce special window attachments for mounting binoculars or spotting scopes.
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