Amanda’s tips for getting started with developing bird-listening skills...

Experienced birders may not remember, but bird-listening can be overwhelming for beginners like me. Here are some things I tried, which may help get you started.

Spend time becoming very familiar with the sounds of your garden visitors. Being able to easily distinguish singing Robins and Wrens, and the warning calls of Blue Tits and Great Tits, for example, will really help when you’re further afield.

Parks are great places to expand your ‘ inner song library’ beyond your garden birds. Try taking one new sound at a time and take time matching it to the singer. Listen out for the song or call every time you visit, so you repeatedly retrieve the memory.

Make use of the voice recorder on your phone and try to find a generous experienced birder to help you identify your recordings.

Add to a playlist of recorded songs and calls you want to learn and persuade your family and friends to test you. Visualise the bird as you’re listening to each sound.

When you’re birdwatching somewhere busy, like an urban park, try closing your eyes to fade out the background noise and tune into the bird sounds. Cupping your hands behind your ears might make you feel a bit silly, but it’s surprisingly effective in amplifying sound and it helps me with my directional hearing.

Look out for opportunities to spend some time in one of your local patches with an experienced bird-listener.

And, most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy listening.