Birdwatching for beginners: how I got started with binoculars, a field guide and patience

Birdwatching is the kind of hobby you can always take with you — in your garden, in the forest or by the sea. The best advice I got when I started was to begin in January, when the number of species in the country is limited and the birds you see often are the easiest to learn. A bird feeder in winter is worth its weight in gold: the birds come to you.

You don't need much in the way of equipment. Get a good field guide — «Fågelguiden» is the standard, but as a beginner a simpler book on the most common species can be less overwhelming. A pair of binoculars makes everything more fun; feel free to start by borrowing a pair or buying second-hand. A birding app on your phone is also a handy alternative.

What helped me most was thinking in probabilities: if you see a «lesser black-backed gull» in the middle of winter, it's more likely a great black-backed gull, and a flock of «azure tits» at the feeder is almost always long-tailed tits. Learn to rule out the common species first. And above all — be humble and don't disturb the birds, especially not during the breeding season.

Reporting to Artportalen is both fun and useful: your observations add to the knowledge of Sweden's bird fauna, and you get a field diary to look back on. Going out with other birders through a local club is probably what gives you the most of all.

My tip is not to rush for results. Learn one song at a time, enjoy the dawns, and suddenly you'll notice that you can hear and recognise more species than you thought possible.

Source: Natursidan