Identification

What’s that bird?

No matter how experienced we are there are still birds out there that give us problems when it comes to deciding what we’ve seen hunkered down in a bush or on a distant mudflat. If you manage to identify that tricky LBJ, where does it go on your list? Most of us birders seem to have a blind spot with one bird family or another… many people, for example, finding identifying waders particularly difficult. Gulls too can be a nightmare, not only are they mostly shades of black and white but, being relatively long lived, mature over a number of years and change plumage by season! Another aspect of ID, over and above visual cues and their calls and songs, there are often differences by season, gender and age.

Whilst we vary in skill, none of us are perfect… a while back discussions on a birding chatline revealed just how bad some mistakes can be. Not only have I identified a paper bag as a water rail, but I have identified a golden eagle as a black rubbish sack and a barn owl as a discarded plastic carrier bag. I even called out to my wife in Australia that just off the road were a small party of e-mails… that should have come out as emu!

For some people, no matter how distinctive the bird, nor how often they have seen it ID is still an issue. I remember being in a boat on Caroni Swamp in Trinidad surrounded by Scarlet Ibis – surely one of the most distinctive birds in the world… yet an American lady kept saying “…what’s that big red bird again?“

Beware, entering some of these links can seriously enhance your knowledge, as the links below should help you decide what’s what.