When you ask a bird watcher to help you identify a bird, there are several simple questions that almost always come into play.

I tell you this so you can learn to pay attention and make your observations easier to identify.

How big is the bird? In the old days they would ask... as big as a breadbox? But since few people today know how big a bread box it, try comparing it to something more familiar, like maybe bigger than a cell phone but smaller than a laptop. Or if it is REALLY big... Bigger than a human baby but smaller than a horse!

What color is the bird? It is most surprising that this is often overlooked in the excitement of SEEING the bird for the first time. Did you notice if the TOP of the bird was the same color as the bottom? Were there any stripes or spots on the wings or tails?

What was the bird doing? This seems oddly simple. It might have been flying, perching, swimming, diving, eating or just sitting on a nest but it puts the unidentified bird into some frame of reference.

Was the bird alone? Some species of birds prefer to travel alone or feed alone and others prefer to be in flocks, or pairs, so that helps to narrow the field of possible birds for your identification.

Perhaps most important of these questions is the last one for today:

WHERE did you see the bird? As with real estate. The importance of location cannot be underestimated. A Magnificent Frigate Bird is not likely to be seen in the Badlands, nor is a Whippoorwill likely to be seen in Antarctica. Was it a forested area? Or meadow? Or swamp? Was the bird on or in a tree?Did you see the bird from your boat while on vacation in the Bahamas?

As you see, there are many facets to learning how to SEE and watch birds and then to identify them and study them. DO come back for more.

You may learn more about birds and their natural habitats at this site. . . Birds Binoculars N More.

You can also sign up for a free Better Birding ECourse valued at $67. The KISS Method of Better Birding is Free right now.