Birding 101: It’s best to start small, by studying body shape, audio and reference guides

What used to be relegated as a hobby for your local retiree has increasingly become a beloved interest for many – birding seems to be more popular than ever.

Perhaps it is due to the increasing awareness of environmental preservation, or maybe it’s a quarantine-era hobby that stuck. For whatever reason, the practice of gazing up at our feathered friends is proliferating.

But the term “birding” itself isn’t new. It can be found in Shakespeare’s 1602 comedy “The Merry Wives of Windsor”: “She laments sir … her husband goes this morning a-birding.” Although in the past it was used more synonymously with “fowling” implying the hunting of birds. Now it is used more somewhat interchangeably with the term “birdwatching,” although some prefer the term birding as it is more inclusive of another important aspect of observing birds – listening.

It doesn’t take much to consider yourself a birder. All that’s required is that you take an interest in the avian life around you. But take it a few steps further, and that is where the real feathered fun begins.

As with many hobbies, it’s recommended to start small. What birds do you see from your window, from your backyard or from your local park? There are probably a few you already have memorized, such as the American robin or the American crow. Perhaps you even can identify the sing-songy call of the robin, or the iconic caw of the crow. You’re already on your way.

Identifying birds can be a lifelong learning journey, but if you just start with the birds around you, it’s not so daunting. And there are many tricks to make identifying simpler and faster.

Birders often use general characteristics to roughly group different types of bird sounds, shapes and types. When you hear a bird call, is it long, or is it short? Is it flat in tone or is it melodic like a song? Is it buzzy, does it sound like a whistle, or more like a trill?

When it comes to size, you could narrow things down with even the most obvious observations. Is the bird you’re looking at smaller than a crow? Is it larger than a sparrow? What are your first impressions of its shape? Does it have a pot belly? How big is the head compared to its body? How long is the bill? How long is the tail?

Another quick characteristic to spot are field marks. Does the bird have a colored ring around its eye? Does it have a patch of color on its throat? Does it have an eyebrow stripe, or strip above its eye? Does it have a line that comes from the corner of its eye? Does it have a stripe on its crown?

Learning the various characteristic categories will allow you to be more intentional during your observations, and it operates as something of a cheat-sheet so you can more easily remember what you saw and heard when you go to check reference photos and audio. Birds tend to disappear quickly, so memorizing these categories keeps you free from burying your head in a field guide only to look up again and see that your bird has flown off.

When it comes to references, there are a plethora to choose from. “The Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America,” and “The Sibley Guide to Birds,” are two classic choices for beginners. It’s also handy to get a book or pamphlet of birds that are specific to your state or region.

Of course given the technology age we live in, there are excellent birding apps as well. Merlin Bird ID can listen to the bird calls around you and can identify birds from your own photos. Audubon is another birding app that comes with an explore option so you can learn about birds in your area. Both apps guide you through the identification process, making them great for getting in the rhythm of asking yourself questions about what you’re looking at.

And because birds don’t typically plop themselves right in front of you for easy viewing, a pair of binoculars or a camera with a zoom lens is another great way to immerse yourself and get a beautiful close-up look during your birding session.

One of the more wonderful things about birding has nothing to do with the birds, but with the people who do it. Birding has a long history of strong community, especially with citizen science projects, such as the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count.

That’s actually just how two local birders got their start. After casually watching birds in her backyard, Shenandoah Marr decided to get more involved.

“In the winter of 2020 I was looking for something different to do during the pandemic, so I contacted the Spokane Audubon Society about participating in the Christmas Bird Count,” Marr said.

Now she works as the outreach and conservation coordinator for the Spokane Audubon Society.

SAS board member Bea Harrison’s story isn’t much different.

“I started birding almost 40 years ago when I was invited to help count birds during a Christmas Bird Count. … My first CBC introduced me to the wonderful world of birding,” Harrison said. “Pretty soon, I recruited my husband Jim, and we have enjoyed birding together ever since.”

If you’re a beginner looking to get some help, Harrison recommends linking up with the Spokane Audubon Society to join local meetings and events, as well as visiting your local library for resources.

“Our local libraries have birding backpacks to check out that include binoculars, a bird book and information on where to go birding,” Harrison said.

With our reputation of being “near nature, near perfect,” it’s no surprise that our region offers plentiful viewing for beginner and experienced birders alike.

“The Inland Northwest offers birders a great variety of birding habitats, such as mountain tops, rivers, lakes, forests and desert scablands,” Harrison said.

These diverse ecosystems make for a great mix of migratory and resident birding as well.

“With our rivers and lakes we have a nice variety of waterfowl and shorebirds, and the forests are home to adorable year-round songbirds like chickadees and nuthatches, as well as songbirds who migrate from as far away as South America,” Marr said.

Harrison recommended a few favorite spots in the area, such as the Saltese Flats Conservation area, Turnbull and Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuges, Cheney Wetlands, Rearden Audubon Lakes and Medical Lake Waterfront Park.

And it doesn’t end there.

“We are lucky to have some nice birding areas that are close to town and easily accessible such as Slavin Ranch, Saltese, Liberty Lake, Waikiki Springs and Dishman Hills,” Marr said. “Protecting these and other habitats is critical to birds, as they are facing a lot of threats such as habitat loss, predation from cats, window strikes and pesticide use.”

If you’re curious about birding, there’s no reason to wait. It’s a rewarding hobby that has brought many people together in celebration of these amazing creatures of flight.

“Birding can broaden your world. It can introduce you to a new group of people and a new way of looking at the world,” Harrison said.

Marr said she has found a wonderful community in the Spokane Audubon Society and other local conservation groups.

“Once I allowed myself the time to slow down and look for and listen to birds I have been rewarded by feeling more connected with nature,” Marr added.

If you’d like to learn more and possibly join Spokane Audubon Society in this year’s Christmas Bird Count, you can visit audubonspokane.org. for more resources.