To be able to identify birds, you need a pair of good eyes and ears, a note-book, a pencil, an illustrated bird-book, and some training in careful observation. And to be a successful bird-watcher, the beginner must imitate, in some respects, the behaviour of the fox. While human beings find it difficult even to approach birds, foxes manage to capture them for food. How do wild animals do this? Well, they are protectively colored; their feet are softly padded and their movements are noiseless; they go on all fours, crawling close to the ground and keeping concealed as much as possible. Their movements are very slow. In all these things, we can imitate them without much difficulty.
First of all, avoid black, white, and strikingly colored clothes, for the birds will at once spot you out. Wear instead, a dull, dead leaf or dull green color. You can use violet too, since birds are incapable of seeing this color. Avoid walking on dead leaves or twigs, which will make lot of noise and frighten away the birds.
Next choose spot-trees, shrubs or grass as cover-and sit there motionless. Do not turn your head quickly, or swing your arms about. If you sit still, birds will come quite close to you, and that will help you to observe them well. You may need to advance on your knees, or crawl like serpent. When approaching birds in the open, a zigzag, circular or sidelong movement may bring you near to them quicker than a direct forward movement.
He who wishes to watch birds must take another lesson from fox-he hunts alone. Alone, you have no one to talk to, and there is no interruption either. When watching birds, you have to give your whole attention to it. As a matter of fact, it requires great physical control and mental concentration just to watch for long. But bird-watching is not all keeping still. In search of birds, you may have to drive, fly, sail, cycle, row and walk. You may have to climb on rocks and trees and be pecked at and scratched by angry birds of all sizes. You may have to be up all night, wet, hot or cold. So, bird-watching can be a picnic, a hobby, a quite pastime or an arduous scientific pursuit.
Spring and early summer are good time to begin identifying birds; they are easier to see and then there can be no confusion with winter visitors. July is the most interesting month in the bird calendar, for then many young birds are about.
Early morning and late afternoons are usually the best times for observation, because most birds are then active and singing. Birds are more shy and retiring on windy days when they can spread their wings and be borne way with little effort. So days with strong winds are unfavourable for bird study. Most birds seek shelter during heavy rains, but are active during light, warm showers.
Water-birds should be studied from long range. Or id you are careful, you can try to sneak up directly towards them, and you may get quite near them. It is this pitting of your wits against the cunning of the birds that constitutes one-half of the interest in bird-watching. But water-birds can be best observed from a small "blind" near the water's edge.
You can also try to follow every strange note to its source, like an expert, who usually hears a bird first before he sees it. Some birds are ventriloquists. When the bird is hidden by leaves, its call seems to come first from one tree, then from another. Many birds sing so softly that they seem to be far away though they are really near at hand.
In your note-book keep a record of the following points. First of all, note the date; the time of day; weather conditions and wind; and the name and type of locality, a very important point. Next, record the size of the bird. At first, it will be difficult for you to judge the size in cm. But you can always compare it with some well-known birds. Here is the size classification with the key birds: sparrow, bulbul, myna, crow and kite. You should write down the key birds on the front page of the note-book as these birds must be known to you. Use the sign plus (+) or minus (-) if the bird is bigger or smaller than the standard size, without reaching the next class. Thus, a bird slightly bigger than sparrow, will be indicated by S(+) or a bird slightly smaller than the myna will be indicated by M(-). By making frequent and proper use of such a scale, you can become quite proficient in judging the comparative sizes of birds.
Then record the shape of the bird, that is whether the bird as a whole is slim or stout. Some allowance should be made for state of the body feathers, since birds can raise or lower their feathers at will.
Then, note whether the bill is large, straight, point, curved, slender, heavy, flat, well hooked, small or conical. If you observe the shape of the bill carefully, you may be able to place the bird in the family to which it belongs. Thus if you see a small bird with a short conical. If you observe the shape of the bill carefully, you may be able to place the bird in the family to which it belongs. Thus if you see a small bird with a short conical bill, it is probably a sparrow. If it is a little smaller than the sparrow and has a short, slender, slightly curved bill, it is probably a warbler, or belongs to some other insect-eating family. The color of the bill should also be noted down.
Next, the size and the structure of the legs. Observe whether the bird has long or short legs. If it has long kegs, then it must be wader. Similarly, if the feet are webbed, it must be a duck. The color is also useful.
The length and the shape of the tail are important too. Notice if the tail is short, forked, notched, square-tipped, round-tipped or pointed. Does the bird cock its tail up, or does it hold it down? Does it wag its tail? For example, if you see a large mottled brown bird with a hooked bill and a slightly forked tail, it is probably a kite. Again, if you see a bird with a long straight pointed brown and yellow bill, a short tail, long legs and a white plumage, it can be a heron.
Observe if the bird has a crest, and if so of what color and shape.
The color of the body is very important; it is about the only feature ordinarily observed. First, notice whether the bird is brightly colored or sober in hue, and which is the predominating color. Then note the color of the upper part, i.e., head, back, back wings and upper tail; next that of the under parts- throat, breast and belly, and under tail. Remember the breast and belly often will seem darker than they really are, as they are in shade; thus, a pure white color will appear gray.
Be careful to note just where color actually is. Then any conspicuous mark (the most useful place to look for it is the breast). Is the bird plain (unmarked), spotted, streaked or striped? Does the tail have a band at the tips, or white spots or white sides? Does the bird have a rump-patch? Do the wings have light wing bars, or are they plain? The presence or absence of these bars is very important in small groups of birds like flycatchers and warblers. Does the bird have a "stripe" over the eye, or a ring around the eye? Is the crown striped, or is there a patch on the crown?
The wings of water-birds are very important. Notice if they have "black-tips" or light "patches", "stripes", or solid coloring. For, one such mark alone, with the size of the bird, is often enough to establish its identity. If you are good at sketching, so much the better. Then a field sketch, showing the "principal parts" of it, as well as details of plumage, legs, bill and eyes can best deal with the bird.
The bird's voice is often the best, and sometimes the only, clue to its identity in the field. Some birds have sweet songs; some have harsh calls, some have warbling notes and so on. The cuckoos and nightjars are identified by their call alone. You should try to describe all notes uttered by the unknown bird in words-what the bird seems to say as you hear it: like "chewweet", "tee-tee", "ka-ka", "cheer-you-cheer-you", "bo-bo-link", and so on. And say if the call was "musical", metallic", "harsh", "soft" or "trilling".
Then, finally, study the food habits and manner of eating; and note the nature of the place where the bird was seen, e.g., marshes, river-beds, gardens, groves, jungles, cultivated fields, etc.
Now, notice if the bird sits on trees, across a branch or along it. If it sits on an exposed perch, does it dart out after an insect and return? If on the tree, does it climb upwards in spirals, like a creeper, or in jerks, using the tail as a brace, like a woodpecker, or does it go down head first, like a nuthatch?
If the bird is on the ground, does it run, walk or hop, like a sparrow? Does it rummage about among dead leaves? Does it travel in flocks, go about singly, or in pairs? In the air, is the flight fast or slow; are the wing-beats rapid or nor; does it wheel, sail, soar, or hover?
If in the water, does it swim well and can it dive, does it dabble and tip up? Can it take off from the water easily or does it patter over the surface before getting into the air?
Does it dip up and down or have a straight arrow like flight, like a dove; or does it fly erratically-lurching this way or that? Does it skim like a swallow? Or soar like a hawk? does it beat its wings quickly like a duck? Or slowly like heron? Does it go with an even wing-beat or with several flaps? Does it hover in one spot and then dive head first into the water, like a kingfisher? Or does it wade? Is it long-legged birds which spends much of its time standing motionless like a heron or does it run along the muddy margin like a sand-piper? Does it probe in the mud with its bill or pick at things?
Later on, when you are able to know your birds, you can take up the identification of nests and eggs. You will find studies on the incubation, hatching and fledging of birds very interesting. As your powers of observation develop, you will begin to learn a great many interesting things. For example, you will discover in what sort of habitats your local birds are distributed; the number of birds; how many birds are nesting in and around you; what food is eaten in different seasons and in different places. The daily habits, display, and courtship of birds are fascinating games of skill for the watcher!