Chronicles

Tips For Beginner Birders With Mike Lushington by: Mike Lushington   4.       A Cautionary Tale or Two                                                                                                          I was studying a pair of gulls. They were standing on a large chunk of ice, preening in the beautiful sun of a late March afternoon. The two were very similar.Except for one detail, I might have taken them for a breeding pair of Herring gulls. However, that one detail was bothering me: one of the birds was several shades of gray darker on its mantle than was its companion. Now gulls are notoriously tricky to identify at the best of times, and I had learned my lessons. One of them was to pay close attention to that shade of gray; it is often one of the better clues to a gull's identification. And so they stood there, oblivious to my bewilderment, that is, until one of them suddenly moved and changed position with its companion. Instantly the mantle of the "dark" bird became as light as that of the other; it had simply been standing in the other bird's shadow.              The brilliant ruby throat of our one hummingbird species is characteristic of the males - except when it appears totally black! I have seen crows and ravens flying by on wings with dazzling silver underlining.         A bird perched high in a tree in direct sunlight may seem to sparkle with colour, or it may appear to be completely drab. I could go on, but the point I want to make is actually a simple, if often frustrating, one: a birder simply cannot rely on colour to make an identification. The reason is simple enough: our perception of colour is affected by the quality of the ambient light. Thus one has often to conclude that, yes, that is a Ruby-throated hummingbird, even though its throat appears silky black at the moment. No, ravens and crows do not have wings with silver linings, and, yes, two Herring gulls standing together in a patch of brilliant March sunshine may appear different, especially if one is standing in the other's shadow.              It is, therefore, far more important for the beginning birder to concentrate on patterns of colour rather than on hue. A bird with a striped head will always display those stripes, even though they may appear to be brown in one light and black in another. Wing patterns will remain consistent, too; as well as marking on the bird's tail and elsewhere.              With all of this in mind, I have developed a strategy for identifying a new bird. Given that I can see the whole bird, I start by noting its general shape (Is it like a sparrow, a warbler, a thrush, a woodpecker, or whatever?) Does its head seem large in comparison to the rest of the body (like a flycatcher, for example)? Is its tail long or short? Do the wings seem to project much beyond its back, or are they short and stubby?              I then like to start with its head: Are there any stripes or spots that I can see? Are the stripes over the crown; over, through, or under its eye; and how many are there? What is the general size and shape of its beak? What patterns can I see on the rest of the bird, again working from front to back, and from top to bottom? Does it have stripes that run down its sides to its breast, or is the breast clear? Does it have any pattern of spots; if so, do the spots seem to run all the way under the bird or do they stop at some point? What can I see about its legs - if anything? And so on. All the while I am repeating these details to myself, to try to memorize them. If the bird is a small perching bird, the chances are that it will move within a short while, so I spend as much time as I can memorizing these details. Then, as soon as it does move, I grab my notebook and start scribbling and sketching.              With luck, and faith in a relative systematic approach, I should be able to identify the bird when I get back to my bird guides. I may discover that there are two or three species that could fit the description and that, should I get another shot at my mystery, I must pay attention to one or more very specific details before I can make that final identification, but I have a sense of satisfaction in having closed a gap and having gained experience in an intriguing pastime.

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