Birding With Field Notes And Sketches

To what extent you take field notes when birding is a matter of personal choice. The goal of using field notes varies among birders. Birding field notes range from a list of birds seen on a particular day at a particular place - to observing birds for the purpose of identification and/or the collection of data, using habitat, time of year, voice, markings, color, size, posture, how the bird flies and anything else that will help you in the endeavor. So, the first step in taking field notes is to make a conscious decision what you want to record.

For instance, if your goal is to ID a bird, consider using this field noting technique. After observing the bird and before opening your field guide do two things. 1) Immediately write down what you see (there is really a reason short term memory is called “short term”). 2) Accompany your notes with sketches. No matter how rough the sketch, drawing forces you to observe detail. Don’t waste time flipping through your field guide when you could be observing the bird and noting detail!

When finished writing and sketching, now open your field guide and try to match what you’ve written/sketched with the description given by the guide. If the bird is still around, look for any markings or characteristics the book mentions that you may not have noted.

Lastly, the only person that will see your field notes is you unless you choose to share them. Don’t be concerned about spelling or grammar and don’t be concerned about a lack of writing or drawing ability. When is the last time you heard someone say, “He has the bird ID correct but just look at that dangling participle!” Happy birding.