Monday Morning Birding Basics – No. 3: LEARNING TO LOOK

A warbler pops into view on the branch of a sugar maple. The beginning birder, getting a clear look at the gray head, sunny yellow undersides and olive-colored back, turns confidently to the field guide. But there’s a problem. Was this bird a Nashville Warbler? Or was it a Mourning Warbler? The birder stashes the field guide and turns for another look at the warbler. It’s long gone.

A crucial skill in birdwatching is learning to get a full, meticulous look at a bird. A Great Blue Heron wading in a pond is easy. The difference between a woodpecker and a Willet is a no-brainer. But songbirds — flycatchers, vireos, thrushes, warblers, sparrows and other lyrical gems — won’t always be as distinctive or cooperative. They can present formidable challenges to the novice observer. So a new birder must do some homework, make the best use of every glimpse, every bit of information gathered, and record a complete mental image before turning to the field guide.

First note overall shape and posture. Is the bird plump like a thrush or slender like a cuckoo? Head and tail proportions can help. Flycatchers look as if their heads are sort of squashed down onto their shoulders. Vireos have necks. Even within groups, shape can be distinctive. Song Sparrow has a relatively long tail that flops around a bit when the bird’s in flight; Savannah Sparrow has a short tail. How about posture? Is the songbird bent forward like a warbler? Or is it perched upright and still like a flycatcher?

Behavior helps. Is your bird launching from a perch, catching an insect and returning to its perch, which is common among those flycatchers, or is it hopping through the foliage and feeding as it goes, like those warblers and vireos. An American Pipit might look like a streaky sparrow, but it has a silly walk; sparrows hop. (The pipit’s slender bill also exposes it as a sparrow impostor.)

When noting color and other marks, be specific about extent and location. Sure, most everyone knows an American Robin has a reddish-orange breast. But how extensive is the red plumage? Does it continue up the throat and under the tail? Noting these kinds of details — and knowing when to look for them — can be the difference between a good birder and a great birder.

Field marks, of course, are vital evidence of a bird’s identity. But learn some rules and generalizations for specific groups of birds. Some vireos have wing bars; others don’t. Most North American owl species have yellow eyes; four species have black eyes. Some sparrows are streaked below; others are clean. Least Sandpiper has yellow legs; its close relatives have black legs. These kinds of subtleties — and knowing when to look for them — can help you clinch a bird’s identity. For many of us, it’s second nature: you want to tell American Golden Plover from Black-bellied Plover in flight? Look for the black axillaries (“wingpits”). Bohemian Waxwings from Cedar Waxwings? Look for the rusty undertail coverts. We don’t think twice about doing this sort of thing.

Most field guides include an introduction to the plumage structure of birds. It is vital reading – even for advanced birdwatchers.  So pay attention to detail. After all, if that confusing warbler in the sugar maple had a bit of  black on the upper breast, a hooded look and no white eye-ring, you would have identified it as a Mourning Warbler instead of a Nashville Warbler. I extracted that image of a Mourning Warbler from a video clip I got during one of my Warbler Weekend outings at Highland Lodge, in Greensboro, Vermont.