Bird istening
You’ll learn a great deal very quickly if you can identify birds without being able to see them.
Whenever I am out and about, even if I’m not actively going birdwatching, I’m always on the alert for birds. I’m always looking for movement, whether it’s a tell-tale twitch of a branch, a flicker of a shadow or a wisp of a tail disappearing into the depths of a bush; anything that reveals that a bird is nearby. People often say, “how on Earth did you spot that?” as I point out a bird that they hadn’t noticed before. The answer is simply because I’m always looking. Birds are everywhere and even the shortest walk to our nearby shops has over the years yielded such surprising birds as Firecrest, Black Redstart and Yellowbrowed Warbler, while Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and Raven may be soaring overhead, not to mention the ubiquitous Herring Gull and Jackdaw!
But, even more than that, I am always listening out for birds, too. Hearing a bird sing or even just make a contact call lets me know that they are nearby, even if I cannot see them. It is a shorthand way of knowing what birds are in the vicinity without necessarily looking for them.
I am lucky to be blessed with good hearing, and it’s often helped me to enjoy birds I wouldn’t otherwise have seen.
I have been driving past a field of long grasses when the distinctive reel of a Grasshopper Warbler came floating in through the open car window, and after stopping and much scanning, I finally laid eyes on the vocal but skulking bird. On one truly memorable occasion, as I walked home with a shopping bag in each hand,
the alarm calls of the Llandudno Herring Gulls overhead were enough to make me look up just in time to see them mobbing an Osprey, right over the town centre, as it migrated northwards!
Listen and learn
When you are out and about with your binoculars, hearing a bird even when you cannot see it will add another dimension to your birding. Firstly, it gives you advanced notice that a particular bird is around so you can then focus your attention on looking for it. It is always much easier to spot a bird when you have a search-image of that bird in your mind while you are looking for it. So, if I hear a Goldcrest singing in a pine, I turn my binoculars on the tree with the image of the bird already in my mind. Even if I only catch a glimpse of it flitting through the branches, I can identify it more rapidly because I’m already thinking ‘Goldcrest’.
Secondly, it allows you to pinpoint more accurately where the bird is located, so you can scan with more precision; is it in the nearest bush in the foreground, or does it sound as though it is calling from further back. Though, beware of ventriloqual birds like Wood Warblers, that seem to be able to throw their voices. Simply by turning their heads as they sing, they can have you scanning completely the wrong tree.
People have asked me how I have learned to recognise bird songs, and my answer is that there is no overnight solution. I only know one man who has learned hundreds of bird vocalisations by listening to them on the computer, and he is an exceptional person. In my case, it is simply through repetition of hearing birds singing while I’m watching them, that I have gradually been able to recognise their songs. Over years of watching birds, I have heard them singing or calling, and each year a few more became embedded in my internal databank.
Over time, I have slowly increased the number of tweets, whistles, trills, or squawks and phrases, so that I can now identify unconsciously.
A few tricks can help make it easier. At first, the mix of bird song washes over you like an orchestra tuning up; it’s a wave of noise without any one song standing out from the crowd. The best place to start identifying individual songs is by learning the common birds, such as garden visitors or those species you encounter regularly. The more you listen to them, especially if you can actually see them singing, the more you will recognise their particular calls and song. Watching video footage of birds singing can also help put a name to a voice. Then, whenever you hear a cascade of birdsong, you will increasingly be able to separate out the familiar ones.
Musical notes
Another trick is to focus on the rhythm or musicality of a song as a personal aide-mémoire. For example, I always think that Woodpigeons seem to say, ‘A good Wood Pigeon, I’m a good Wood Pigeon’, while Collared Doves chant ‘United! United!’ like rather despondent football supporters. It may sound daft to you, but for me, it works.
And once you have nailed your regulars, then your focus will switch automatically to any unusual or unfamiliar sounds, alerting you to any special birds that may be around. Of course, birds don’t always play by the rule books, and I’m often caught out by a familiar bird making unfamiliar noises.But that’s half the fun of bird listening. Every day is a school day and I’m always learning something new.
But it is so important not to get too hung up on trying to identify everything you hear. Sometimes it is joyous simply to fill your ears with the cacophony of birdsong and let it wash over you in a soundwave of natural beauty. Listening to birdsong on a spring morning is the ultimate mindfulness experience. It’s good for your soul, it is soothing and uplifting, and reminds you that we are just one cog in a magnificent system of biodiversity.
So, next time you are out birdwatching, try closing your eyes, opening your ears, and enjoying a spot of bird listening instead. You may find it very rewarding!