| |
Wild Bird Identification is A NatureSkills.com exclusive.
When the sandpipers flew up and bunched together into a swirling flock, Katherine and I knew what to look for. We turned our heads to watch the peregrine falcon scything out of the sky towards the small birds. One straggler could not escape the stoop of the falcon. As the tiny bird fell, stunned by the peregrine’s blow, a northern harrier hawk flew low along the ground and grabbed the peregrine’s prey. “Well, if that isn’t a Discovery Channel moment, I don’t know what is,” said Katherine, once we had caught our breath.
Why are you drawn to watching birds? Many people reply something along the lines of “Because it’s fun,” and I want to keep that answer in mind when people talk about how frustrating birds can be. Wild bird identification is fun, but you don’t need to identify birds to enjoy them. Some people have the birding fever, and there is no use explaining the obsession to others. I just want to encourage you to develop that passion if it is latent in you.
Find yourself a pair of binoculars and find some birds. The behavior and variations of house sparrows in a parking lot can be fascinating. Can you identify individual birds? Is the sparrow with a missing toe perched near the same grocery cart rack where it was last week? Good questioning and observation skills are necessary no matter what your birding expertise may be, nor how far you wish to go with wild bird identification.
How do you start? I often ask students to shape the bird in the air with their hands. What would it be like if they were holding the bird? This is a test of gauging size from a distance. Eventually you can get a sense if a bird is large or small for its species. In raptors, for instance, the females are larger than the males. Gauging size is just one of the ways that birds help us gain a three-dimensional understanding of our surroundings. They also help us do that acoustically — but that’s a whole other article.
Wild bird identification is about much more than color. Size, shape, movement and, of course, sound are all great ways to identify birds. I like field guides that group birds in taxonomic order, such as the new Peterson Field Guide: Birds of North America, or the Sibley Field Guide to Birds. You may find it helpful to sort birds this way, since common groups like “duck” or “hawk” will narrow your search considerably in your field guide. Out in the field, look more at the bird than at the book. I like having a guide handy, but I don’t look at it until the bird has flown away, or I just can’t stand the curiosity any more.
While looking at the bird, ask all the questions you can. What size is it? What color? What markings does it have, such as white bars on the wings, or stripes on its face? I marvel at people who can notice the makes and models of cars; wild bird identification is simply an extension of the human ability to discern patterns. As you get more familiar with birds, more of their patterns and behavior will reveal themselves to you. Next thing you know, you’ll find yourself in the right place at the right time for your own Discovery Channel moment. I look forward to hearing about it!
Check out the Advanced Bird Language cd's as well.
Alexia Allen is an avid naturalist and birder. She is a Kamana instructor with Wilderness Awareness School and teaches bird language at their Anake Outdoor School. She is also a farmer of sorts, a bee keeper, a spinner and weaver.
To learn more about Birds and Bird Language, check out Wilderness Awareness School's Natureskills class!
Back from Wild Bird Identification to Bird Calls & Behavior
|
|
