How do you know what you’re looking at? There’s no single way to identify a bird. There are various factors like shape and size, colours and patterns, behaviours, and where you see it.  All of this will help you tell different species apart. 

Although many birds may look the same at first, and might just seem like “little brown birds”, GISS (General Impression of Size and Shape) is a term that helps with narrowing down a species. For example, if a bird is sitting on a lake, you can simply eliminate groups of birds like owls or woodpeckers and think about other characteristics to narrow it down. Is it duck-shaped? What colourations and patterns can you see?

Dawn is the most active time of day for most species. You’ll not only hear an array of birds singing but also spot them on the move, foraging for themselves and any young they are rearing. There are plenty of apps (and many free ones) that can assist you in identifying which songster you are hearing. Although not 100% accurate all the time, they form a great basis to get you started. I’d recommend apps like Merlin ID by Cornell Lab or BirdNerd: Bird Song Identifier, to record and analyse both songs and calls. Collins Bird Guide app is also a super handy tool; it doesn’t record songs but is an extensive field guide with distribution maps, has tips on identifying birds visually and also includes songs, calls and alarm calls.

During the middle of the day, especially when it’s quite warm you may struggle to see many birds as they tend to be hunkered down and become quite skulky. Late evening will be better, especially at dusk when diurnal or nocturnal species will leave their roost, such as owls.

Different habitats will bring in different species. For example, if you’re watching in your garden, you may see birds such as the beloved robin, blackbird and wren. Gardens and allotments can be great places to see who you have visiting and utilising your space, and you might be surprised by just how many different species you may have on your doorstep. 

Woodland specialists to look out for include nuthatch, tree creeper and maybe even a tawny owl. Farmland is good for species like yellowhammer, corn bunting and skylark. On the coast you can spot several species of gulls like herring gull, black-headed gull and increasingly the Mediterranean gull, other species including common tern and cormorants are also good to spot. Marshland/wetlands are home to many different species like bearded reedling, common kingfisher, lapwing and common redshank.

All of these habitats can also host a bird of prey of sorts whether it’s a marsh harrier over marshland, a buzzard over farmland or a sparrowhawk in mixed woodland, they’re always an exciting find!

Find your closest nature reserve

You don’t need to have expensive equipment to watch birds. A pair of binoculars are handy to get a closer look at something or you could even just use the zoom function on your mobile phone. If you’d rather go without, I would recommend noting down a bird’s characteristics and behaviours, and then using an online field guide, app or book to help you conclude what species you’ve seen.