So true, I am seeing far more birds than I could identify. If they only stay still, then I can use the Merlin app to find out what they are. But if they are flying or I can just hear them, I am totally at a loss. On my morning walk today, I heard distinct bird calls which I could not identify.
Yes, it is very overwhelming at first. Beginners often tend to overload themselves considering tiny plumage characteristics of everything they see, but it's usually easier to start out getting to know differences in overall look and behavior of different families of birds, and then getting more detailed from there. Here's a pic to illustrate what I mean (random grab off the internet, thanks unknown photographer):
A similar picture to this was just posted to a Facebook forum that I frequent. An argument immediately broke out over what species this was, but 2 seconds is enough for me to id this as a northern harrier (hawk), almost certainly an adult female.
How can I so quickly differentiate it from all the other raptor species it might hypothetically be? It isn't that I'm a super-good birder (I am soooo not). But I do have a lot of general experience with raptors, which helps me instantly discard the majority of possibilities.
E.g., we have 35 species of raptor in North America that forage during the day (if you include the short-eared owl).
1. Landscape: Photo was taken in southern Great Plains, in winter. Open, mostly treeless, dry-ish landscape. This automatically rules out most raptors immediately (those that are forest dwellers, those that migrate south to winter, those that remain in the north all year), but leaves 8 possibilities: northern harrier, red-tailed hawk, rough-legged hawk, prairie falcon, merlin, American kestrel, golden eagle, short-eared owl. Also possible (if wandering a bit out of range) would be peregrine falcon and bald eagle.
2. Size: not helpful in this photo, and actually not as helpful to a beginner as you might believe. Size is incredibly deceptive in birds and hard to judge accurately.
3. Field marks (plumage/body shape). The pictured hawk is nondescript brown with some pale edging/streaking on the back. Front not visible. Distinct white rump patch, darker bars on tail. Unfortunately, ~20 raptor species have 'brownish' backs with some tail barring at some ages or in some plumages. Good thing we automatically ruled out a bunch via point 1!
The white rump patch is promising, though ~10 species have white at or near the tail base. Good thing we already ruled a bunch out via point 1!
This bird has relatively long wings and tail for its size, and wings are narrowish. Head looks small, and kind of 'flat-fronted'.
Even if you didn't know size, this does not have the body shape of an eagle, which resembles a flying rectangular plank. Juvenile bald eagles have very large heads/beaks, lack a white tail patch, and usually occur near water. Adult golden eagles lack the tail patch, and juveniles (which have it) typically exhibit the golden nape feathers. Not an eagle.
The 4 falcons (prairie, peregrine, kestrel, merlin) have long pointed wings and longer tails, but ALL lack the distinct white rump patch.
That leaves the harrier, red-tail, and rough-legged hawks, and the short-eared owl, all of which frequent open country during the winter in the southern plains.
Short-eared owls have brown streaky backs but with distinct dark and pale patches on their wings, lack the tail patch, and have short tails and short round wings. Not a short-ear.
Juvenile red-tails have the brown streaky backs and light tail barring, but lack the white tail patch. They also have much broader wings and a shorter tail. Not a red-tail.
We are left with rough-legged hawk or northern harrier. Eliminating rough-legged hawks could be tricky (this is where experience with raptors really helps, as does seeing the bird out in the wild on the move). Rough-leggeds have variable 'color morphs', some of which have a white tail patch or faint tail bars. However, though they have intermediate-length wings, they still don't have quite the same 'profile' as the northern harrier. Harriers have a 'flattish' face that rough-leggeds lack. Unlike harriers, rough-leggeds often have a pale 'window' patch in the outer ends of their wings.
Also, these two species move and forage very differently, which is where a lot of time out in the field really helps. Rough-leggeds tend to perch on telephone poles or any other tall structure out on the plains, or they tend to alternately soar and hover while watching for prey below. Harriers tend to forage by continuously quartering very low (often less than 10 feet) off the ground, rocking back and forth and flapping only occasionally, holding their wings in a shallow 'v' shape.
By landscape and context (open, treeless, winter), field marks (profile, white rump patch, flattish looking face), behavior (coursing low), we know this is a northern harrier. We know it is likely adult female b/c adult males are pale gray above, whereas females are dull brown. Field marks are insufficient to entirely rule out that this could be a juvenile (which are similar to adult females but more cinammon-y in color)...we would have to see the underside of the bird to be confident (adult females tend to be whitish with brown streaking, while juvies are cinnamon brown with variable streaking).
It's really helpful to go out with birding id groups/classes, b/c the instructors can give you context by which you can quickly rule out most possibilities and hone in on the field marks that you need. It goes from being overwhelming to fun very fast. Although admittedly, periodically very frustrating (the plentiful birds that you can't 100% 'call'.)