Birdwatching Guide

Field Guide

The Beginners guide to the Wetlands

Introduction This book is going to take you through your learning stages on birdwatching. This Field Guide is especially designed considering both people who have available to read about birdwatching as well as others who only have a few hours available - if that’s the case feel free to skip chapters because we wrote this guide in small and concise sections thinking of busy Londoners. Who is this guide book for?

Check if you fit within at least one of the categories:

Are you a London worker on your day-off?

It’s your first time at Wetlands Center in Barnes, and you came to find some serenity, you want to relax and you would be interested in finding interesting facts about birds on today’s trip, even if you only have a few hours time.

Lost and curious about birdwatching?

Want to start exploring the new exciting world of birdwatching, get to know a few terms and recgnonize some birds without much equipment.

Love sketching nature?

Perfect for you if you are interested on learning how to sketch birds for fun. We have sketching pages for you, and sketching techniques to help you get started!

‘I want to take memories home with me!’

This is a good diary as well as a guide which you can fiill up with memories and finding of your day.

FIND ME

If lost please return to

About the Birdwatcher Name: I started this journal: I finished this journal: Contact:

Think before you sketch

Read this and learn how to make use of any opportunity!

PLAN BEFORE HAND What will you need? Pen? Camera? Binoculars? Waterproof coat? How are you going to identify a bird when you see one? You don’t want to flick the Birds Guide Book to try and match the illustration of the bird in front of you.

The skills to focus on are to watch, examine, memorize and to take notes. ­ Beginners, be patient and remember that a single feature probably won’t be sufficient to make an accurate identification - at least most of the times.

SKETCHING Are you taking a picture or sketching?

In case of quick sketching, follow these simple steps: 1. Start by getting an over all view of the main body shapes of the bird (look at the figure in the right) 2. Add other more complex shapes, detailing each part on the birds body. Then textures and colour.

3. Finally start building the environment, which you can always leave for last, since you can always go back to the spot (marking the place where you found the bird might also be important to indentify it.)

example of drawing technique

When sketching you will want to be quick, before the want flies or hops away from your sight.

Recording everything you can will give you time to enjoy the moment. Sketching and taking notes allows you to observe their aaaamazinng colors, shapes, chants and flights - note these, it will help you memorize important traces in order to identify it next time.

Have a look at these drawing techniques and you will see how easy it will get. Start by drawing basic shapes and then add detail with some notes for colour, texture and size.

Who is who?

See if you can find any of these common birds...

Mallard

Anas Platyrhynchos

Grey Heron

Ardea Cinerea

Herring Gull

Larus Argentatus

Type: Duck - Like Size: 55 - 62 cm Behaviour: Swims, up ends, takes off and lands on water or ground.

Type: Heron - Like Size: 90 - 100cm Behaviour: Wades, walks, take off and lands back on ground.

Type: Gull- Like Size: 53 - 59cm Behaviour: Swims, wades, walks, perches openly, takes off from ground or water.

Swallow

Hirundo Rustica

Chaffinch

Fringilla Coelebs

Robin

Erithacus Rubecula

Type: Swallow - Like Size: 16 - 22cm Behaviour: Aerial, takes off and lands on buildings

Type: Finch - Like Size: 14.5 - 16cm Behaviour: Flits, hops, perches openly off from vegetation or ground.

Type: Chat - Like Size: 13 - 15cm Behaviour: Flits, Perches openly, hops, takes off from vegetation and ground.

Who is hiding from who?

Care for the birds? Bare in mind these thoughts

While birdwatching, have you ever wondered how do birds see you? The first point you need to remember is, that although you wish the bird no harm, you are in fact the ‘hunter’ to their eyes.

You do not wish to kill but to observe as closely as possible without frightening the bird, therefore its not advisable to wear colours like orange or bright yellow.

If you are taking children with you it might be fun for kids to prepare themselves for a trip to the centre, wearing appropriate cloths and bird watching accessories!

Are the birds actually aware of birdwatchers?

The answer is yes.

It is thought that birds find it hard to face areas of movement, even harder than hearing loud noises.

(So more still than quiet while your watching them!)

However, when birds migrate to the Wetlands they tend to get used to conditions they have been coming across. Over the years it has been observed that that birds are getting used to the fact the people are standing behind the Observatory the Wetlands Centre in Barnes and therefore tend to react more at ease about it.

Some birdwatching terms...

Wings

‘What is that bit between the top of the head and their mouth called?’

You might want to learn some vocabulary about bird’s anatomy. You will be able to communicate with other bird watchers about the bird’s body parts, colours and their anatomy in other to identify them easier. It will also be useful for your own notes!

primaries

upper primary coverts bastard wing secondaries wing lining upper lesser wing coverts lower lesser wing coverts

auxilars

upper mandible

Topography eye ring forehead eyeline crest nape

shoulder back

breast

wing bar side belly Topography: the accurate and detailed description of the superficial features of a bird. Bird used to describe the terms is Bluejay.

Field marks are bold patches of plumage that stand out. Head patterns, wing bars, tail and rump patterns are the ones, which are the most, appropriate to make a note of.

lower mandible

chin throat secondaries primaries

upper tail coverts

tail flank

outer tail feathers

Map of the Wetlands Center in Barnes Map the path you have done today and where you have seen birds.

Were they closer to the water?

Did you stop a nest in on a tree?

Draw, trace and sketch!

hides water in the wetlands walkable paths

What are the Wetlands? ‘Wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water that can be natural or artificial, permanent or temporary. They have water that is either static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt’ Wetlands in Barnes have 42 hectare is home to a wide variety of wildlife including over 180 species of birds, water voles, amphibians, bats, butterflies and moths.

Your Notes These next pages are for you! You can use them for you personal thoughts and observations, write, draw and sketch with everything you have learned until now.

this swallow will help you with some tips about birds throught out your note pages So look out for it!

‘ Data, time, habitat, size, call and weather is information that you might want to keep record of if you are trying to find out which of us you are looking at.’

w down every n and where it ow it flew and with and so on. ons and it will which bird that you have seen.

rior to human re colour than han ours do. it lour similar to in exactly the er heads up to angles than us.

shade though tually see. The ds can see you f hearing, they hat bush! Stayou more bonus mentt too and otice the most.

Everyone on us, birds, have our own scientific name. Scientific names are international and they will help you identify ‘family’ which each species belongs to . . .

the shape of the wing is adapted to the special types pf flight performed by the various birds. For instance, it is long and wide in soaringg birds such as eagles and vultures. Twisting of the tail is also used as an aid in manueuvering

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Quick Bird’s List 2

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1 Hooded merganser 2 Rreasted merganser 3 European Eider 4 Carolina duck 5 Mandarin duck 6 Barrow’s goldeneye 7 Goosander 8 Garganey 9 Argentine red shoveler 10 Hottentot teal 11 European golden eye 12 Bufflehead 13 South Georgian pintail 14 Bahama pintail 15 Smew

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16 Northern pintail 17 Red-billled pintail 18 Steamer duck 19 Freckled duck 20 Cape shovel 21 Pink-eared duck 22 Cape teal 23 Versicolor teal 24 Puna teal 25 North american ruddy duck 26 Maccoa 27 White-headed duck 28 Philippine duck 29 African duck 30 North American 31 Meller’s

32 Spotbill 33 Mallard 34 Laysan teal 35 Ring-necked duck 36 Baer’s pochard 37 Magpie goose 38 White eye 39 New Zeland scaup 40 Tufted duck 41 Scaup 42 Goosander 43 American wigeon 44 Canvasback 45 European pochard 46 Smew 47 Brazilian teal

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48 European wigeon 49 Redhead 50 Gadwell 51 Rosybill 52 Chiloe wigeon 53 Green-wiged teal 54 Baikal teal 55 Falcated duck 56 Crested Duck

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57 Garganey 58 Sharp-winged teal 59 African black duck 60 Chestnut teal 61 Cinnamon teal 62 Blue-winged teal 63 Black headed duck 64 Bronze-wiged duck 65 Australian Shovler 66 Common shoveler

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Field Guide for WWT