Birdwatching Guide

• the name of the bird: and this doesn't mean 'Polly'. No, what is meant by this is the correct scientific family name, species name, as well as the common name of the family and the species. To help you here you may wish to invest in an illustrated guide.
  
  
• What the bird looked like - with a diagram if possible. Words like, 'fat', 'gray', etc. should be avoided as this may lead to confusion at a later date.
  
  
• The bird's average wingspan, tip from bill to top of tail, and additional measurement details;
  
  
• The bird's eating habits;
  
  
• The bird's breeding habits;
  
  
• What the bird's eggs look like and the incubation time to hatch the eggs and the average weight of the bird;
  
  
• Determination of whether the bird is a migrating bird or not;
  
  
• What the bird looked like; for example, the birdís color scheme;
  
  
• A note on whether the birds stay round the house happily during period when no other activity is necessary;
  
  
• Where possible, a description of the birdís nest could also prove to be useful;
  
  
• Flight and migration patens - if known.

Once you have as much of the above information to-hand as possible, you are then two-thirds of your way through your bird identification North America process and well on your way to correctly identifying one of the 700 different types of bird species found in North America today.

And, if your bird identification North America process is really up to scratch, you may even be fortunate enough to discover a new species of North American bird!