For enthusiasts and those looking to get into birding, it can be challenging to sometimes understand what you are looking at. For example, how can a female American redstart not have any red coloring? Birding is not always self-explanatory, and trying to figure out the species of a bird that is the size of a clementine can be difficult. Luckily, there are many guides to help.
If you want to be out in nature and leave your phone behind, Sibley and Peterson are the gold standards of field guides for birds. These not only look good on your coffee table but also provide comprehensive coverage of the birds that can be found in your region. A Southeastern or full North America book will be a good place to start.
If you aren’t old school and want to use the full range of technology to advance your lifer bird list, consider using some of the latest birding apps. Merlin Bird ID is an extremely helpful app that allows you to use your phone’s microphone to listen for birds in the area. This can be extremely helpful in identifying what is in your area and what birds you should be looking for. Additionally, this app allows you to upload photos and will give you the best matches for what you may have seen. The Audubon app is another useful tech tool where you can upload your birding finds to keep track of when and where you see your birds. It also displays other birders’ finds in the area, which can be helpful if you are on the hunt for a specific species.
Lastly, it can be fun to keep a written record of your birding finds. Check out guides like the Sibley Birder’s Life List and Field Diary, where you can enter all your birding entries to see what birds you have spotted in your lifetime. The Town of Kiawah Island also has this resource to see a comprehensive list of all the possible birds that are spotted in the area. This checklist shows in which seasons you are more or less likely to see certain species.
Hopefully, these resources will help stop some potential headaches and help you find more birds to add to your life list.