May is here, and with it come warblers, and orioles, and vireos, and more! Spring migration is a thrilling time for birders, but it can also be overwhelming—especially for those of us who are new to the hobby. This is my first time experiencing the wonder of spring migration from a birder’s perspective and oh boy, it’s been a roller coaster.
All week long, I’ve been waffling between being incredibly thrilled at all the new birds I’ve seen and completely overwhelmed at how few of them I can ID on my own. My excitement at seeing all these new birds outweighs my frustrations by far, but I’ll be honest—I have been a lil’ frustrated! I had gotten so used to my winter birds, the birds I worked sooo hard to identify and get familiar with, and now I’m surrounded by new faces and new voices that make me feel like I’m starting at square one.
It’s humbling.
I’m not letting any frustration take over, though. I’m A-OK with being humbled by birds, because I know they are way cooler than I am. They lead fascinating lives, traveling to all ends of the globe. They’re masters of camouflage, of mimicking, of nest-crafting, of hunting, of song. They can fool me any day and I’d still be grateful just to get a glimpse of them.
All that said, it’s nice to know who you’re looking at.
In this week’s Entryway to Birding blog, I’m going to share some simple and practical tips to help you ID birds in the field—especially when you’re out there on your own. It may feel intimidating without a field trip leader or fellow birders beside you to help you out, but don’t let that hold you back from trying to improve your skills. I’ll show you how to use the Merlin ID app to help give you a great place to start with your IDs.
None of my advice is new or groundbreaking, but I hope it can give you a little more confidence if you’ve been flustered by an overwhelming amount of birds (it’s really a good problem to have!). When you’re birding solo as a beginner, you may not be able ID everything you see, but if you keep at it, you’ll find you improve with each and every attempt.
Let’s get started!
A warbling vireo, whose field marks include … a lack of distinctive field marks. Classic. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
Over there! Something moved in that tree!
The challenge in spring is the sheer number of very small and very fast birds that may be waaaay up in the tip top of the trees, or waaaay down below, hiding in the brush. Finding them is one thing. Getting a good look at them is another.
When I first started birding, I struggled with even getting my binoculars set on the bird. It sounds so easy (I mean, you just look through them, right?) but when you’re constantly putting them up and down from your face as you try and track a bird, you can easily lose sight of the bird.
Here’s a tip: Do not look down at your binoculars before you put them up to your face. When you’re new to using them, you may find you’re doing this subconsciously and in the process, you’re losing track of where the bird was. Once you look away, you have to refind it amidst all the branches and brush—not easy.
What you should do is not take your eyes off the bird and, without looking down, slowly move your binoculars up to your eyes. You’ll then be looking closer at the area you just had the bird, and it will be easier to find it. Practice this—a lot!—and you’ll find that getting your sights on a bird gets easier and easier.
You’ve spotted something! Now what?
Do not, I repeat, do not turn straight to your field guide or bird ID app.
I know, I know, it sounds counter-intuitive. But I’ve made this mistake many a time, and do you know what happens the moment I put down my binoculars and pull up the guide? The bird flies away, never to be seen again, and I immediately forget every field mark that I thought I saw.
Your first move should be to study the bird as much as you can while it is in your view. Birds are fast and flighty and they can disappear in a moment’s notice. If you have one in your sights, keep looking at it.
Look smarter, not harder!
Okay, so you’ve got a bird in your view. Your next step is to take note of as many field marks (i.e. details of the bird’s plumage, bill, legs, etc.) as you can.
Even though it seems natural to be noticing a bird’s distinct features, you might get caught up in the rush of excitement at finding a bird you don’t recognize and simply forget to pay attention. I’ve mentioned before how bad I was at noticing field marks when I first started—I’ve gotten better, but it still takes effort. I can stare at a bird til my eyes hurt, but if I don’t make a conscious effort to pick out field marks, I struggle to recall more than the basic details of what I saw.
Black and orange might scream Baltimore oriole … but this is an American redstart! The orange color is primarily on the side of the breast, unlike the Baltimore oriole whose entire chest and belly is orange. The American redstart is a warbler so it will have a smaller and more delicate bill—perfect for catching insects. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
Size and color are easy marks to latch onto, but can be deceptive. Definitely take note of them, but also have some other “go to” features to look for. Here’s a list of some field marks to look for. You may not remember to look at all of these in the rush of the moment, but even one or two of these features may help you narrow down an ID.
Look at the bill. Is it small? Thin? Thick? Long? Curved? Straight?
Look at the head. Is there a crest? A cap or a stripe of a different color? Is it all the same color?
Look at the eye. Is there a thin ring around the eye, or maybe a stripe that runs through the eye across the face? Are the lores (the feathers between the bill and the eye) a different color?
Look at the wings. Are they the same color as the rest of the bird? Do you notice bars or patches on the wings?
Look at the tail. Is it long, short? Is the end round or pointed? Is it a different color than the rest of the bird?
Pro tip: a small field notebook goes a long way—you can jot down the field marks you remember or even use it as a sketchbook to sketch what you saw.
ID that bird!
This is what you’ll see when you open the Merlin app! You can ID a bird by answering a series of questions or uploading a photo. You can also look through app in field guide form.
You may be birding solo with no field trip leader to help you out, but you’re not helpless. You’ve got a great resource right at your fingertips with the Merlin Bird ID app.
Merlin Bird ID is a free app that asks you a series of simple questions to help narrow down your bird. This is one of the first apps that I go to when I’m birding solo and need help. My success rate with it has been pretty darn good. And even if it doesn’t help me find the bird I saw, it can give me an idea of what I didn’t see and help me narrow down my options.
It’s simple and easy to use right in the field—no data connection required! Just pull up the app and answer a series of five questions.
Where did you see the bird? – You can select your current location (Madison, WI, for example!) and the app will begin to narrow down birds that are likely to be found in your area.
When did you see the bird? – The app will default to the current day, but you can change it to whenever you’d like. This setting will further narrow down birds that are likely to be found in the current season.
What size was the bird? – You’ll see a handy scale from “sparrow-sized or smaller” up to “goose-sized or larger” to help you judge the size.
What were the main colors? You can choose up to three colors you noticed on the bird. Pick the colors that really stood out to you.
Was the bird … ? – this prompt is all about behavior. Was your bird eating at feeder, soaring or flying, or on the ground? Behavior is a key field mark and this will help the app determine if you were looking at a hawk or a duck.
There will likely be a few different birds that match up with your selections. Merlin won’t choose just one, but it will give you a set of nice of photo-focused options to help you figure out what you saw. When you cross-check that list with the field marks that you noted from your observations … there you go! That’s your bird!
Take a look at this list of birds Merlin suggested for me after I input some details about a mystery warbler I saw this weekend. I entered that it was smaller than a sparrow, that it was yellow, olive/green, and black, and that it was found in trees or bushes. My bird wasn’t a golden-crowned kinglet, the first option listed, but it was indeed a black-throated green warbler, the third option on the list! The field marks I had noted were the entirely black throat (yeah, the name was kind of a giveaway too!), and the white wing bar, both of which matched the photo.
One of the cool things about the Merlin Bird ID is that it is more than just an identification guide. It’s also a field guide, meaning you can read about the birds you’re seeing and explore what else you might find in your area. The more you study what birds you may see, the more comfortable you’ll be when you see one in the field.
Got a photo?
You don’t need a camera to go birding, but if you have one and happen to get a photo of a bird you don’t recognize, Merlin Bird ID still has your back. The app will analyze your photo and suggest an ID for your bird. I’ve tested this many, many a time and I’ve always been shocked at how well it works—even on some not-so-great-quality pics.
If Merlin Bird ID doesn’t get you there, then the “What’s this Bird?” Facebook group will. The American Birding Association has this stellar Facebook group where you can post an image (even a crappy one!) or a video clip containing a bird song, and an entire community of birders will help you ID it. There are a ton of knowledgeable birders on this page and many of them reply within minutes. (If you join this group, be sure to read and respect their community guidelines.)
A palm warbler, with its characteristic chestnut cap and yellow eyebrow, perches on a branch. Palm warblers will pump their tails often—a good behavior to keep an eye out for! Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
You aren’t going to be an expert at IDing birds right away. It’s a hobby and skill that takes time, practice, and an endless supply of patience. But the more you get out there and bird, the better you’ll be.
And don’t forget! While identifying birds is part of the hobby, the most important part is the birds themselves—the beautiful, graceful, awkward, weird, noisy, talented, lovable birds. Even if you can’t ID them, you can enjoy them for all the joy they bring.
Happy birding, and I’ll see you next Monday!
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Caitlyn is the Communications and Outreach Assistant at Madison Audubon. She’s crazy for birds because they changed her life. She’ll be back next Monday with some tips and tools for birders, new and experienced! Between now and then, she’d love to hear about the birds you’re seeing and hearing. Leave a comment below or email to drop her a line!
