Thank you for attending our free, three-part series on Advanced Bird Finding techniques. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to locate more birds than you ever thought possible! (Note that identification of those birds will require our Advanced Bird Identification series, available soon for only $99/class)
Our syllabus is:
- Class #1: The Importance of Place
- Class #2: The Importance of Time
- Class #3: The Importance of Paying Attention
At the instructor's discretion/whim, there may also be a final examination, which must be passed in order to receive your diploma. Probably not, however, as he's kind of lazy.
With that, allow me to introduce our instructor, Dr. Sayornis. Doc Say, take it away!
Friends! Romans! Countrymen! Listen up, as I ain't gonna say this twice!
Identification of a bird requires that you be near the bird, the bird provides some distinctive clues as to its nature, and you process those clues to arrive at identification. Like the Kardashians, many birds make themselves very visible and have clearly distinctive markings, so this is often a straightforward process.
The challenge is that many species are much more "Where's Waldo". They skulk about dense brushy undergrowth, or lurk high in the leafy treetops. The Proper Birder respects their desire for privacy, yet sometimes idly considers whether starting a small fire in that bush might indeed be the only way to get the bird to pop out.
To further deepen the problem, these birds are often relatively few in number and live in VERY specific places. Like a musician with a 20-page rider, the birds just won't be there if the candy jar contains anything except for green M&Ms.
Allow me to cite a few recent, personal examples of this from a recent trip through Arizona:
- A rare Five-striped Sparrow had been reported somewhere in Chino Canyon. After a long, teeth-jarring drive to the general area, all was quiet, and we became disquieted. Splitting our party into three, one walked north while the second walked south. The third, smartest member consulted our well-worn Sibley app: "found where dense brushy vegetation covers steep slopes above permanent streams". She stopped at the first location matching Sibley's description, waited quietly, and found the bird within 30 minutes. The other two struck out, but did get much more exercise.
- After nearly two weeks hoping to see an elusive Virginia's Warbler, we heard that one had been found in our campground! After walking back and forth along the creek, straining our necks from staring high into the leafy trees where we thought a warbler might live, we finally read Sibley's description of the bird's habitat: "dense brushy undergrowth with scattered trees on arid slopes". We ran to the other side of the camp, started climbing the steep hill, and found the bird within 15 minutes.
- The next day, we went in search of a Gray Vireo. Having learned our lesson, we consulted Sibley before leaving the car: "Rocky arid hillsides with widely scattered junipers, oaks, or mesquite, with patches of bare ground in between". Ignoring other kinds of habitat, we quickly arrived at a likely area, and found our Vireo within 10 minutes of our second stop.
The moral of these stories is that while some birds are very picky, a good Bird ID book is more than just a collection of pretty pictures, and actually reading the book is often essential to success!
In our next lesson, we'll talk about how, sometimes, even being in the right place just isn't enough.
Until next time, I am
Your Professor
Estidamos?
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