Resources for Birdwatching

Smartphone use to enhance birding

Smartphone apps have been developed to provide on-the-go information and resources in your pocket. While birding or back at home, you can use the following apps to assist in discovering the birds in your region and branch out to discover birds anywhere you go. These same apps can be downloaded to your computer or laptop for use at home.
Seeing and hearing new birds can be a source of wonder, but also frustration. There’s something singing it’s head off in that bush over there and you just cannot see it. Or you see a little brown stripey bird but have no idea which one it is. Technology has come a long way to help!

Bird identification apps for smartphones, computers, and laptops

Merlin Bird ID Cornell Lab of Ornithology – free

You can choose a photo you have on your phone and then answer a few filtering questions of colors, behavior, size, etc.; or scroll through the loaded bird packs to find the bird right in front of you. The app contains several photos of each bird (male, female, juvenile) as opposed to drawn illustrations. There are also songs/calls of the bird and a map of the bird’s summer and winter range. The latest addition to the app is a way to record the bird song you are hearing and it will suggest a bird from its sonogram (sound picture of the recording). Our section on Using Merlin has more information.

Audubon Bird Guide National Audubon Society – free

Similar to Merlin, this free guide has over 800 species in its database. Identify by color, size, some specifics, and it will narrow down the possible matches for your location and date. See How to use the Audubon app for instructions.

Sibley Birds v2 app Sibley Guides – FEE

Basically, the Field Guide in your phone. Searchable by bird name, or scroll through the list till you get to the family of birds you’re looking for, such as Hawks and Eagles. Once you narrow down the bird to its family, you can begin comparing similar birds till you find the one you’re looking for. If you’re still not sure, there’s a ‘comparison’ view that pulls up several similar birds at once for showing details and areas to focus upon to differentiate among them.

iBird PRO iBird – FEE

This has detailed information useful for the advanced beginner; it is available for Apple and android phones.

The Best Birding Apps and Field Guides by Audubon has recommendations that can be considered for more information.

If you are upgrading what you have or buying your first pair, always try before you buy. When you are on a field trip or with someone who has a pair you like, see if they fit your needs. The club held a workshop and taught a class on Equipment, and there is an excellent video How To Choose Your Binoculars | Audubon that is part of their series.

Books

You can’t beat a good field guide that is pocket (or backpack) sized and can be carried in the field. Two that are useful to most birders are Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds (paperback) and The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (paperback).

Here are some other books on birding (not bird identification) that are much more advanced:

Birding by Impression by Kevin Karlson and Dale Rosselet

How To Know The Birds by Ted Floyd

Better Birding: Tips, Tools, and Concepts for the Field by George Armisted and Brian Sullivan

What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing–What Birds Are Doing, and Why (Sibley Guides) by David A. Sibley

Sibley’s Birding Basics: How to Identify Birds, Using the Clues in Feathers, Habitats, Behaviors, and Sounds (Sibley Guides) by David A. Sibley

Websites for Bird Identification

The internet is information overload. Type in a bird name in the search bar and you will get thousands of hits that have anything and everything to do with that bird. The following websites will hopefully provide clear, quality information and reputable resources.

All About Birds The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a powerhouse in the birding world. This  is a free site which gives information about birds and birding. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you see links to all of their other sites.

Audubon See the many topics available under the dropdown tab “Birds & Guides.”

Here are links to some common birds in our area you probably already know:

Maryland Backyard Birds by Nancie Waterman, who lives in central Maryland.

Backyard Birds in Maryland (26 species with pictures) from Bird Feeder Hub

Top 20 Backyard Birds in Maryland from Bird Advisors.

Bird songs Mnemonics: An easy way to remember a bird song is to make words out of it. A Carolina Wren seems to say ‘Cheeburger-cheeburger-cheeburger-cheap!’ Or ‘Secret-secret-secret!’ A Red-eyed Vireo has been claimed to say, ‘Where are you? Here I am, over here!’ Indigo Buntings repeat their phrases: ‘Fire, fire! Where, where? Here, here!’ This site has dozens of these phrases sorted by bird name or the phrase, and searchable with the Find function of your keyboard. (Carolina Wrens are especially wordy, but the syllables are in a similar pattern.  I’ve heard (outside a military base) ‘Procedure-procedure-procedure!’ And other places ‘Brain surgeon-brain surgeon-brain surgeon!’ This can be a fun way of remembering the birds around you.)