Start where you are<\/h2>\n
Carter is leading me through the BTO\u2019s Nunnery Lakes reserve, just south of Thetford in Norfolk. Sixty species of birds breed here between March and August, and more stop over. In just 20 minutes, we spot a dozen or so, including a charming family of great crested grebes.<\/p>\n
Many birders practise \u201cpatch birding\u201d, focusing their entire practice on just the one area, Carter tells me: \u201cIt\u2019s quite addictive.\u201d He discovered birding aged 11, when his family moved close to the RSPB\u2019s Leighton Moss nature reserve in coastal Lancashire. \u201cSuddenly, birds became the absolute focus.\u201d<\/p>\n
But even urban areas teem with birdlife. Nadeem Perera, an RSPB ambassador and co-founder of the birding community Flock Together, got hooked after spotting a green woodpecker in a suburban London cemetery. \u201cI couldn\u2019t get over how strikingly beautiful this bird was, and moreover, that it was on my doorstep,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
At the time, Perera was 15 and had just dropped out of school. He was feeling hopeless and disengaged. The woodpecker represented hope and possibility. \u201cAll I knew was that being exposed to birds in their natural environments made me feel good \u2013 so I kept on going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fifteen years later, Perera can confidently identify most birdsong in London.<\/p>\n With more than 600 bird species recorded in the UK, Carter suggests starting with those you\u2019re most likely to encounter locally. A field guide such as Collins Bird Guide is the best way to familiarise yourself with different types of birds and helpful vocabulary.<\/p>\n By learning a little about the taxonomies \u2013 and what distinguishes, say, a passerine (perching bird) from a petrel (seabird) \u2013 \u201cyou very quickly learn how to describe the birds you see,\u201d Carter says. But don\u2019t feel pressure to become an expert, he adds. \u201cPeople can just enjoy being in nature because it\u2019s valid and valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n Amy Tan, the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, became a \u201cback yard birder\u201d in 2016, following Donald Trump\u2019s election. \u201cIt was so depressing \u2013 I needed to find beauty again in the world,\u201d she says. At the time, Tan was 64. Birding brought her calm and a refreshed perspective, \u201cgetting distracting and distressing elements out of my head so I could continue with my day\u201d. Soon she became \u201cobsessed\u201d with birds; at one point, she even stored live mealworms in her fridge.<\/p>\n In her book The Backyard Bird Chronicles (a US bestseller, to be published in the UK in August), Tan captures her visitors with whimsical descriptions and drawings. She can now identify more than 70 species \u2013 but that knowledge came gradually, she says. \u201cIf you take on too much at once, it\u2019s overwhelming, and then you just don\u2019t want to do it any more.\u201d Naming birds \u201cdoes not have to be a criteria\u201d to enjoy them, she adds. \u201cIt\u2019s a very democratic hobby, or passion \u2013 or obsession.\u201d<\/p>\n Technology can be a gateway to green spaces, as demonstrated by my experience with Merlin Bird ID. It\u2019s useful for engaging young people in particular in the natural world, Carter agrees \u2013 and perhaps more realistic than urging them to leave their phones at home.<\/p>\n The Collins Bird Guide is also available as an app for on-the-go referral (though most birders seem to use the app alongside the hard copy, since the book is easier to browse). Carter also recommends the BTO\u2019s free app BirdTrack, which allows users to record their sightings, review those of others, and contribute to research. Some people prefer eBird, which, like Merlin, comes from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.<\/p>\n Though apps can augment birders\u2019 experience in the field, they can also distract from it. Carter says Merlin is best used in addition to your own instincts and identifications, rather than as a replacement \u2013 not least because \u201cit\u2019s not 100% accurate\u201d. And by immediately reaching for the app to ID a bird sighting or song, you also risk skipping over steps that would make that knowledge stick or feel earned.<\/p>\n I have now started using Merlin only after making my best guess as to what species I\u2019m hearing. I am usually wrong (unless it\u2019s a chiffchaff) \u2013 but I feel as if I\u2019m training my ear.<\/p>\n Birding requires patience, which is at odds with our on-demand culture, Perera points out. That\u2019s \u201cone of the great things\u201d about it \u2013 but it can be a tough adjustment. \u201cThis isn\u2019t Netflix. There\u2019s every chance that you will see nothing. Then you realise: \u2018Oh, wow, the world actually doesn\u2019t happen on my terms,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cIt humbles your ego a little bit. But it makes you very appreciative of those magical moments when you do see the bird that you\u2019re after.\u201d<\/p>\n Birding is a widely accessible, even generally free pastime \u2013 \u201cbut if you want to do it to a certain standard, you need to buy a pair of binoculars,\u201d Carter says. As a one-off expense, it\u2019s worth putting in the time to find a pair that suits your purposes (and ideally try before you buy). Magnification is not the only consideration, Carter says; some have a brighter picture, but might be less sharp. Weight and size are also important. \u201cIt\u2019s about finding ones that feel right in your hand.\u201d<\/p>\n Premium-brand \u201cbins\u201d, such as Leica and Zeiss, go for more than \u00a31,000. (An AI-assisted pair made by Swarovski \u2013 yes, like the crystal \u2013 will set you back \u00a33,695.) Budget models have come a long way, but Carter warns against scrimping: \u201cYou\u2019re not going to get anything under \u00a3150 or \u00a3200 that\u2019s even really useful. But once you\u2019ve got it, you\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n Think of it as an investment, echoes Sam Walker of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) charity. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to spend thousands, but it\u2019s really key. Even if it\u2019s just a small pair of field binoculars, they\u2019re going to set you up for decades into the future.\u201d He suggests buying top brands secondhand, available at a fifth or even a tenth of the price of new. Walker\u2019s own binoculars and telescope are probably more than 10 years old, \u201cbut it\u2019s still great-quality glass\u201d.<\/p>\n Birding is often a solitary pursuit, but it doesn\u2019t have to be. \u201cIt\u2019s a more social hobby than you\u2019d think,\u201d says Walker. He got into birding six years ago when he started working at the WWT, and says the best way to learn is by going out with people with more experience. \u201cIt\u2019s much easier to identify birds and retain information, because you\u2019ve got others there to bounce ideas off. I\u2019m always really keen to not be sat in a bird hide, on my own, in the dark.\u201d<\/p>\n Nature reserves and organisations such as the BTO and the RSPB put on birding walks, talks, training courses and events. Joining a local bird club is also a great way to meet like-minded people. Birding may still be dominated by older, white men \u2013 but that is changing. The BTO and RSPB both have youth wings, while groups such as Birds & the Belles and Birding for All are working to make the pastime more inclusive.<\/p>\n Perera and Ollie Olanipekun co-founded Flock Together in 2020, as a \u201cbirdwatching club for Black and brown people\u201d. Five years on, it holds monthly birdwatching walks and has chapters in Tokyo, Toronto and New York. \u201cDon\u2019t let anybody intimidate you, or make you feel as though you don\u2019t belong,\u201d says Perera, who is of Sri Lankan and Jamaican heritage. \u201cThey\u2019re just scared that you\u2019re going to be better at it than them.\u201d<\/p>\n Birders love to log their sightings: the most common records are \u201cyear lists\u201d, covering the calendar year, and \u201clife lists\u201d that include everything. Walker\u2019s 2025 list is currently at 130 species, sighted around his Gloucestershire home \u2013 but he knows birders with life lists tallying 600-plus. \u201cYou can imagine the amount of time and money that they\u2019ve spent travelling around.\u201d<\/p>\n Many birdwatchers will go to great lengths to secure rare spots. \u201cIt just adds a little bit of magic sparkle to your birding year, and builds up that life list as well.\u201d But even patch-birders, focused on their local area, can get a bit obsessive about trying to catch \u2019em all, Walker admits. \u201cPeople get worried about going away on holiday.\u201d<\/p>\n While some structure or system can support your developing hobby, Carter discourages being too focused on outcomes. \u201cI\u2019ve seen quite a few young people get into the rarity, list-building thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this month, a Pallas\u2019s reed bunting was spotted on Fair Isle in the Shetlands \u2013 only the fifth sighting recorded since 1976. Though the bird itself is small and unshowy, excitement levels were high: \u201cA mostly monochrome masterpiece, this was the stuff of birding legend,\u201d wrote the Rare Bird Alert newsletter. Carter recalls: \u201cstraight away, people were trying to figure out if they could get charter flights, whether there were any boats running \u2026\u201d He advises slowing down. \u201cTake your time; learn to really love birds.\u201d<\/p>\n Tan decries some birdwatchers\u2019 elitism, and dismissal of common species. \u201cThey\u2019ll call a starling or sparrow a \u2018junk bird\u2019; I think that\u2019s horrible.\u201d She approaches birding as a practice of observation, and even mindfulness. \u201cYou can start noticing what a bird is doing \u2013 these ordinary behaviours that we don\u2019t always pay attention to.\u201d<\/p>\n Tan also studies the pecking order playing out at her feeders. \u201cTrying to decipher the relationships \u2013 that\u2019s part of the fun,\u201d she says. Drawing each bird pushes her to focus on easily missed details such as bill shape or foot colour, and \u201cthe way that each individual bird is actually constructed\u201d.<\/p>\n Keeping a journal or a diary (as The Backyard Bird Chronicles began) helps \u201canchor\u201d her practice, Tan says. \u201cIt\u2019s a good brain exercise, if you\u2019re a writer, but also just for remembering the things that made your life so meaningful and joyful.\u201d<\/p>\n Once you\u2019re familiar with your patch and its regulars, you can start attuning yourself to seasonal variations. Many migratory birds arrive in the UK during the spring, staying for the summer and leaving just as winter visitors are descending.<\/p>\n The time of day and the weather affect sightings, too. Birdlife is typically most active at dawn and dusk. While rain can worsen visibility and make some species less active, it enlivens others and causes them to fly closer to the ground, making them easier to spot.<\/p>\n Strong onshore winds can blow seabirds towards the coast from open water, and cause migratory species from North America, Europe or Asia to make a pit stop on British shores. Just a short drive or train ride can transport you to a different habitat hosting unfamiliar species, Walker says. \u201cEven in London, you can get out to heathland or down to the coast.\u201d<\/p>\n The eBird and BirdTrack apps, alerting on recent sightings and particular hotspots, can give you a sense of what to look for \u2013 but in general, Walker says, \u201cbeing out and always birding is the best place to be\u201d.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019re familiar with your patch and its regulars, you can start attuning yourself to seasonal variations<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As well as offering an escape from screens, work and day-to-day stresses, birding can deepen your investment in nature. You might notice the changing climate in your area, or get involved in local efforts to protect green spaces. \u201cIt connects you to it, so you care about it, and you\u2019re concerned when someone wants to fill in your local pond or build a road through woodland,\u201d says Carter.<\/p>\n You can contribute to science and conservation efforts by logging sightings on BirdTrack, adding to a national database of \u201cwhat\u2019s where and when\u201d. The BTO also conducts regular projects and surveys \u2013 of wetland birds, breeding birds or garden birds \u2013 involving thousands of volunteers each year. Even beginners can play a part, says Carter.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery record is of some value: if you identify only half the birds you saw, that half is still really useful. You don\u2019t have to be an expert in telling one weird wader apart from another weird wader \u2013 there are always people who are good at that.\u201d<\/p>\nGet to know your neighbours<\/h2>\n
But don\u2019t forget to pay attention, too<\/h2>\n
Get your \u2018bins\u2019 out<\/h2>\n
Find your flock<\/h2>\n
Start a list, or a system<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s enough just to look<\/h2>\n
Broaden your horizons<\/h2>\n
Be part of something bigger<\/h2>\n