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LEARNING TO IDENTIFY BIRDS

When to watch: Most birds are at their most active early in the morning but of course there are always exceptions to the rule. If the early morning is impossible on your chosen birdwatching day, late evening offers a slightly less active but still good flurry of activity.

Where to watch: Natural habitats will certainly always offer a wider variety of more specialized bird species. Find your local National Wildlife Refuges, South Carolina State Park or Audubon Sanctuary. In the alternative, a city or county park may be your best bet. Birds are everywhere. Your backyard can be the best place for you to begin to enjoy birds.

Go to the Carolina Bird Club website to find recommended sites for bird watching in South Carolina and North Carolina.

Get a field guide: There are numerous field guides available and they are an invaluable tool for anyone who wants to watch birds. The Sibley Guide to Birds, the Kaufman Guide Birds of North America, Peterson's A Field Guide to the Birds: A Completely New Guide to All the Birds of Eastern and Central North America and the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America are good choices. TIP: Don't flip through your field guide while you've got a bird in your sights. Spend as much time as possible viewing the bird and then look in the field guide. The moments when a bird is actually in your sights are few and fleeting. Take advantage of them to remember all that you can.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Here's a brief overview of the things you should most focus on when trying to identify a bird.

Size: Size can be useful in describing a bird to others. And people often use size comparisons with more well-known birds as a starting point. Was it smaller than a crow? About the same size as a Blue Jay? Bigger than a Carolina Wren? Not an exact science at all but useful.

Shape: Is the bird chunky or slender? Does it have a long tail or short tail? These things should be noted.

Bills: What shape is the bill? Is it thick and chunky as though the birds uses it to crack seeds? Is it hook-shaped and made for tearing meat? Is the bill slender, as though it may be used to eat small insects?

Markings: Obviously the color of the bird you see is the place where you will start in your identification process. It's the most obvious thing and what we are drawn to automatically. Unfortunately, describing something as a "little brown bird" doesn't help. Often, you must go beyond the obvious. Here's some helpful hints.

Face: Look for an eye-ring (differently colored circle around the eye). Also, look for an eyebrow stripe (colored markings above the eye). Some birds can have "hoods" over their heads or other extreme head markings. Facial markings can be crucial in helping to reach species level identification.

Wings: Look for wing-bars (contrasting blocks or stripes of color). Also, be sure and note wings that are of entirely different color than the rest of the bird's body.

Tails: Some bird tail feathers feature stripes or bars of different colors, most noticeable when the bird is in flight. They are usually white but not always. Make sure to note their location on the tail (side, middle, etc.).

Breast: A different colored breast or markings upon the breast, like streaks or spots can be very useful in identification. Note the color of the markings or if the entire breast is of a different color than the rest of the body be sure to note it.

IDENTIFICATION LINKS

Here's a short list of the websites you can visit to get more information on identifying birds.

eNature: eNature is an online field guide that can be personalized. The site is not limited strictly to birds but covers all animal groups.

All About Birds: Cornell Ornithology Lab's online bird identification site. Good resource for all aspects of birdwatching.

Audubon At Home: This Audubon program offers tips on identifying birds and making the most of your backyard birdwatching.

Carolina Bird Club: This site provides information on birding in North and South Carolina.