Although raptors, think African Fish Eagle, are definitely my favourites, I still have so much trouble identifying some of these special bird species. The most challenging part of identifying raptors are immatures and juveniles. The brown raptors – there are quite a few – are one of my other challenges. Every time I see a raptor I start to dribble, hyperventilate, sweat, shake and eventually drop a few tears… the novelty is still unbearable. The Tit might be a new bird to my ever-growing tick list. I was sure about a few of them, with the picture to prove it, but my guru Steven Brain had to piepie on my battery by letting me know that I was unfortunately wrong. That is when he has his glasses on when identifying them for me. 

One of the other options for starting your birding career is to join a bird club or get a bird guide to initiate and introduce you to this wonderful pastime, which will soon become an obsession. I am sure that some bird guides are indeed bird watchers! I must quote Bill Odie, a world renown birder, who said that “birders are selfish, snobbish and competitive”, and he said other rude things about them which are not allowed to be mentioned in a popular family magazine.

The self-taught option obviously has its handicaps. The positive side is that you can be with your loved one, and that your ticking list will quickly grow out of proportion and will contain some very interesting birds. The other good news is that there are indeed a few birds you will be able to identify without the help of a professional. Ostriches, mossies, doves and tarentale are, as a rule, not a problem. As you go along you can add to your ticking list other easy to identify birds like Carmine Bee-eaters, Fawn-collared Larks and Lark-like Buntings.

Once you get the hang of identifying birds my tip is to concentrate on a few important elements. Obviously you will concentrate on different things in different species. In Larks you need to measure their tibias. Raptors are a bit more difficult. The size, shape and colouring of the bill. The size of the head and colour of the eyes. When in flight look for the shape and width of the wings and the tail, and the colour of the underwings. Once you get the knack of the above, you can look at the leggings. Eagles for instance have feathers down to their feet, while all the other raptors do not. Luckily there are quite a few raptors that are unmistakable – like the Bateleur and, yes, the African Fish Eagle. Looking at the various species, you will quickly realise that in different groups of birds there are different things to look for to make identification easier.