IT occurred to me whilst out birding over on Ronkswood a few days ago, surrounded by the numerous and varied birdsong, that, despite a year’s worth of articles, I haven’t specifically offered some basic advice on how best to make a start at birdwatching.

This time of the year is a perfect one for the beginner as the birds are extremely vocal and visible.

You are going to need a pair of binoculars, but first, before you even get out and about, you need to know what you are looking at or hearing. So you will need to buy a field guide.

There are plenty of websites you can go to for information of course, but I find that having a book at your fingertips, which you can flick through to easily compare the different species, learn which birds are here all year round or are summer and winter visitors and where they can be found, is invaluable.

LISTEN, READ AND LEARN: Essential reading and listening to get started with birdwatching

LISTEN, READ AND LEARN: Essential reading and listening to get started with birdwatching

I spent and still do spend a lot of time thumbing through my books.

Getting to know bird songs is equally as important. Once again, there are plenty of online sources, but a CD is a good way to learn the songs of the common species.

I’ll let you into a secret and show my age, I learnt my bird songs from a couple of tape cassettes, one of garden birds and one of warbler songs.

And this brings up a further piece of advice. If you can learn the common species by sight and sound, then you have a good base to build on as you encounter new species.

You can start quite simply with the birds in and around your garden and it may be beneficial to start with a book on garden birds, so you only have a limited number of birds to look at, rather than a full nation’s worth of species, which can be confusing.

At first you will be relying on getting a clear look at the birds you see, but with practice and experience you will find you can identify a bird with just a quick glimpse or when flying over and the plumage details are not noticeable. The key to this is focusing on the overall impression of a bird or its ‘jizz’: its body shape and posture, how it flies and how it acts (habits), etc.

As an example, lets talk about a bird’s bill. These come in all shapes and sizes depending what the bird feeds on or how it feeds.

The greenfinch, a seed-eater, as shown by the size and shape of its bill

The greenfinch, a seed-eater, as shown by the size and shape of its bill

If we use the photos of the couple of common birds I’ve included, you can see the greenfinch is a seed eater and has a strong and chunky bill for cracking open a wide variety of them. The robin is an insect eater and has a fine bill which helps it glean or pick its insect food off branches, leaves and flowers or in leaf litter.

So, if you catch a glimpse of a bird with a thin bill, you can rule out a finch species straightaway.

Finally, and most importantly, when you are out birdwatching you need to consider your own safety, respect private property and the welfare of the birdlife is paramount. Binoculars will keep you at distance and prevent any disturbance.

The beauty of it is that it is a constant learning process and source of pleasure.