Learning How To Identify Birds By Impression

Presentation of the book "Learning how to identify birds by impression." Learning how to identify birds by impression is a theoretical-practical book, which allows the observer to identify birds by impression, after carrying out the practical exercises that it proposes. This book is not a bird guide, but a method for identifying wild birds. The book is composed of two parts: the first one, theoretical, deals with impressions, how they are born and what the result of their operation is. The second part, practical, teaches how to operate the variables and thus generate impressions, through the combination of field and at desk exercises. With practice, the observer will experience birding by impression. The method is based in the acquisition of a familiarisation to the bird and its environment and, for that, it uses holistic variables that include in addition to plumage, ecology, structure and behaviour. Familiarisation is obtained through the generation of own impressions of the right side of the brain (Karlson K and Rosselet D, 2015), induced after the operation of such variables. Impressions are housed in the fast subconscious memory, which allows an instant retrieval of the image, associated to the name of the bird that generated the impression. Variable operations are evaluation, synthesis and comparison. The evaluation is the basic operation for each variable; through synthesis, the evaluated variables of a same nature are grouped; comparison is used when dealing with a set of species of the same genus or family. Each operation is solved in one sentence and the generation of simple impressions takes place during the elaboration of the sentences. The complex impressions will appear after synthesis and comparison. Acting in a conscious, proactive and systematic way, the observer increases and improves efficacy, efficiency, universality and representativeness of their skill in wild bird identification, and they do it in a significantly lower time than required if they had used traditional methods through plumage, GISS (Dunne P, 2006) or jizz (Blomdahl A, Breife B and Holstrom N, 2012). The potential users of this technology are: professional or amateur observers of birds, teachers, educators and environmental journalists that can elaborate a degree subject, master, doctorate or vocational training. The method can be the subject of exhibitions in museums and zoos. It is susceptible of being explained in chats and conferences, workshops or short courses. The authors of bird guides can include the impression as an added factor to the plumage. Professional researchers, librarians and booksellers will also find the technology useful. Biologists, zoologists, engineers, environmentalists, technical and forest engineers, bird census enumerators, professionals of learning with the right side of the brain, consultants, ornithological guides, technicians of environmental departments in governments and municipalities, NGO ornithologists, as well as professionals from conservation and nature study institutions, whose motto is change and innovation; and in a near future, in 2020, the students of the Finnish educational system. Value proposal for the observer The method increases and improves the efficiency, effectiveness, universality and representativeness of the identifications made by an observer in an avian community, with respect to classical methods based on plumage analysis. The method is friendly and is based on solid scientific pillars; The method allows for "understanding" birds immersed in their environment as a whole, which is the basis of the holistic identification.

A highly visual guide to identifying birds in the field based on the important, unchanging features of size, shape, structure, and behavior Birding is an extremely rewarding and fun hobby, but some situations can be frustrating or unsuccessful because of a variety of challenging viewing conditions. This guide to identifying birds offers the holistic “birding by impression” method, which not only helps with these difficult conditions, but also develops an efficient mental identification process using left- and right-brain skills. It begins with a conscious assessment of a bird’s unchanging physical characteristics, including general size, body shape, structural features (bill, legs, neck, and wings), and behavior. Using this approach, birders can quickly assess all birds and distinguish new and uncommon species from familiar ones. They can then examine more detailed field marks to fine-tune the identification. Rather than a traditional field guide, this book presents an interactive how-to approach to a more complete identification process.

A resource with nearly 900 full-color photos examines the basics of each major bird group, describes the principles of identification and much more. By the author of Lives of North American Birds. 20,000 first printing.

The first comprehensive guide to the sounds of eastern North American birds, featuring an innovative visual index that allows readers to quickly look up unfamiliar sounds in the field. Bird songs and calls are just as important as visual field marks in identifying birds. But until now, the only way to learn them was by memorization. With this groundbreaking book, it’s possible to visually distinguish bird sounds and identify birds using a field guide format. At the core of this guide is the spectrogram, a visual graph of sound. With a brief introduction to five key aspects—speed, repetition, pauses, pitch pattern, and tone quality—readers can learn to visualize sounds, without any musical training or auditory memorization. Picturing sounds makes it possible to search this book visually for a bird song heard in the field. The Sound Index groups similar songs together, narrowing the identification choices quickly to a brief list of birds that sound alike. Readers can then turn to the species account for more information and/or listen to the accompanying audio tracks available online, through Cornell's Lab of Ornithology. Identifying birds by sound is arguably the most challenging and important skill in birding. This book makes it vastly easier to master than ever before.

Birds of prey spend most of their time in flight and, when viewed from the ground, they are notoriously hard to identify. Australian Birds of Prey in Flight is a photographic guide to the eagles, hawks, kites and falcons flying high above you. Individual species profiles describe distinguishing features and the text is supported by detailed images showing the birds at six different angles and poses, using photographs from many of Australia's leading bird photographers. Annotated multi-species comparison plates highlight key features that can help differentiate birds of prey in flight. This book will be of value to anyone who wants to learn more about Australia's birds of prey, and will provide a useful reference for identifying soaring birds in the field, and also while trying to identify images from your own camera.

A fascinating look at what birds do and why they do it Both casual and serious birdwatchers can take their skills to the next level with this detailed consideration of bird behavior. This book makes it possible to move beyond identifying birds to understanding some of the underpinning and meaning to what birds do, how they do it, and why they do it. Written in an easy-to-understand style, with an abundance of photos illustrating the behaviors, the book shows how flight, molt, migration, feeding, predation, social behavior, courtship, and nesting shape birds' behaviors. Birds are everywhere, and easy to observe; this introduction to elements of bird behavior will connect readers more intimately with these remarkable and beguilingly perceptive animals.

A field guide that revolutionizes warbler identification Warblers are among the most challenging birds to identify. They exhibit an array of seasonal plumages and have distinctive yet oft-confused calls and songs. The Warbler Guide enables you to quickly identify any of the 56 species of warblers in the United States and Canada. This groundbreaking guide features more than 1,000 stunning color photos, extensive species accounts with multiple viewing angles, and an entirely new system of vocalization analysis that helps you distinguish songs and calls. The Warbler Guide revolutionizes birdwatching, making warbler identification easier than ever before. For more information, please see the author videos on the Princeton University Press website. Covers all 56 species of warblers in the United States and Canada Visual quick finders help you identify warblers from any angle Song and call finders make identification easy using a few simple questions Uses sonograms to teach a new system of song identification that makes it easier to understand and hear differences between similar species Detailed species accounts show multiple views with diagnostic points, direct comparisons of plumage and vocalizations with similar species, and complete aging and sexing descriptions New aids to identification include song mnemonics and icons for undertail pattern, color impression, habitat, and behavior Includes field exercises, flight shots, general identification strategies, and quizzes A complete, page-by-page audio companion to all of the 1,000-plus songs and calls covered by the book is available for purchase and download from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library by using the link at www.TheWarblerGuide.com

When many birders go out looking at shorebirds, they see a distant mud flat full of grayish brown birds in various shapes and sizes and have no idea where to begin the identification process. When advanced birders look at that same flock of shorebirds, they can identify the vast majority of birds with a quick binocular scan. Experts use the simplest, most easily observed characteristics--size, structure, behavior, and general color patterns--almost subconsciously, and can identify most birds even before looking carefully at plumage details. Now birders of all levels can learn how to identify these wildly popular birds quickly and with much less effort. This guide provides more than 870 stunning color photographs, sequenced to give a general impression of a species first and progressing to a more detailed image of the bird throughout its life cycle. Captions list characteristics in order of importance, reflecting the thought process that experts use to identify birds.