Life list update: one bird, probably

Hobby Corner · Birdwatching

Decorative picture of circles, squares and triangles in flat colours

A good morning of birdwatching: two flasks, a pair of binoculars and a sense of purpose. The result is one bird, and I am about 80% sure what it was. It was small, brown and in a hurry, which narrows it down to most of them.

Birders have a technical term for this and it is not flattering: a little brown job. Learning the difference is the whole hobby, and I am enjoying being bad at it.

How to identify a bird

  1. Look at the bird.
  2. Look at the field guide.
  3. Look at the bird again. It has left.
  4. Write down what you think you saw, with the time and the weather.

Today's list

Birds seen
1, probably
Confirmed
0
Small brown birds, unconfirmed
14
Flasks of tea
2, one of them for a bird

If it is small, brown and in a hurry, write down 'sparrow'. It is not science, it is a coping strategy.