Birding 101: A guide for beginners

Great Crested Flycatcher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Wobblewing.  

OK — I made that last one up.  

Bird names might be half the fun, but the real joy of birding goes far beyond. There’s something deeply rewarding about slowing down, tuning in and spotting a flicker of movement in the trees.  

We also have a special connection to our feathered friends at our home at Evergreen Brick Works. Once a polluted industrial site, the Brick Works is now a Toronto birding hotspot. The land has been transformed into a thriving wetland, meadow and forest, creating a safe haven for over 200 species of birds. 

But, like me, you might not know the difference between a robin and a sparrow or whether that sound you heard is a bird or a squeaky sneaker. What if I wanted to join the flock at Toronto’s favourite urban birding spot?  

To learn more, I asked Andrea Gress, host of The Warblers Podcast at Birds Canada.

Getting started 

The first step is the easiest: just get out there and start looking up. Once you begin birding, you’ll quickly find yourself part of a welcoming community — whether it’s fellow birders in the park or others sharing their sightings online. 

“When I first started getting into it, I found going out on a birding walk with hardcore birders a bit intimidating because they’re so far ahead of where I was,” says Gress. “But at the same time, they are really good at giving pointers. So, I would suggest going birding in an area where there are birders — if you ask for help, they’ll help you.” 

Gress calls birding a really easy way to just get outdoors and into nature. It’s a good incentive to seek out trees and water and enjoy the relaxation and mental health benefits.  

“You can do it alone or with friends; it’s very flexible, you can do it anywhere. It can also become more addicting the more you do it.”  

Using apps and field guides 

One of the easiest ways to start birding is by getting a little help from the tools the pros use — apps and field guides. 

“For beginners, I would definitely suggest downloading the Merlin Bird ID app,” Gress says. “It’s an incredible app, and it’s free. You can filter birds for your area and season, so you can actually see what birds you’re most likely to see today at the Brick Works, for example. Or if you’re going on vacation, you can look at that list in advance.” 

The app also allows you to plug in traits like size, shape and colour and will give you a list of possible birds. You can even record the sounds you hear, and it will help you further narrow down your search. eBird is another useful app which many birders use to track their sightings. 

“When you start to get hooked and want to get a little bit nerdy about it, that’s when a guidebook is really helpful,” Gress says. “You can even just go check those out at a library; try a few different ones. You might prefer ones with drawings instead of photos or you might want one for a specific region.” 

Beyond apps and field guides, you can also search for nature clubs or birding groups near you, which often organize free in-person walks.  

Equipment for beginners  

You don’t need much to start birding, but a decent pair of binoculars can make all the difference. 

“I would never say that you have to have binoculars to go birding, but it’s a gamechanger,” suggests Gress. “It’s certainly going to help when it comes to identifying birds, and as you get better and better, you’re going to want to look for those finer details.” 

Many birders like binocular models that are in the range of 7×30, 8×40 or 10×50.  

The first number represents the magnification. The higher the number, the larger the magnification, but, as Gress says, also the harder it is to hold steady. So you may only want to go larger if you have sturdy hands. The second number is the lens diameter in millimeters. The bigger this number is, the more light your binoculars will capture, and the better things will look. But it will also increase the weight of the binoculars.  

“Consider what you’ll be using them for,” she says. “Are you going to want to carry a heavy pair of binoculars a long distance or are you the type to sit in one spot.” 

Not ready to buy your own pair? In Toronto, the library even offers birding kits provided by Birds Canada, which include binoculars, guides, survey and a backpack. These birding kits are available for free at the Runnymede location with a valid Toronto Public Library card. 

Beyond binoculars, you could also consider bringing a notebook to jot down observations, a camera to take photos to help ID later, and seasonally appropriate outdoor clothes, like good walking shoes and a hat to protect you from the sun.  

Identifying birds  

Now for the fun part: how do you actually figure out what bird you’re looking at? Here are a few categories you can log into your field guide or app: 

Size and shape 

Think of it like a game of 20 Questions, Gress says: is it bigger than a tennis ball? Smaller than a robin? About half the size of that sign it’s perched next to? Using simple comparisons like these can quickly narrow things down. 

“Then move on to shape. Again, compare it to familiar things. Does it have a long neck like a Canada Goose? From there, you can take it a step further and look at bill shape. A shorebird might have a long, thin bill for probing in mud, while a sparrow’s bill is short and cone-shaped to crack open seeds. 

Habitat and context 

“If you walked into a birding group and said, ‘I saw a bird the other day,’ the first thing they’d ask is, ‘Where were you, and what was the bird doing?’ 

“Were you in a wetland? Was it on the water or flying over your head?” Gress says. 

Certain birds stick to certain places — and their behaviour can be a big clue. At wetlands, for example, dabbling ducks like mallards feed at the surface, while diving ducks like mergansers disappear underwater. Red-winged blackbirds often perch on cattails and sing, and woodpeckers usually reveal themselves by sound before sight. Where you are and what the bird is doing can tell you a lot. 

Sounds 

Don’t get intimidated by birdsongs right off the bat — there are just too many to learn. Instead, Gress suggests, start by using the sound as a tool to help you spot birds. 

“When it comes to learning some of those songs and calls, mnemonic tricks can really help,” she says. “The Black-capped Chickadee sounds like it’s saying ‘cheeseburger.’ The American Goldfinch sings a ‘potato chip’ as it flies by. And the American Robin has a friendly ‘cheerio, cheery, cheery.’” 

Learn more  

You don’t need to become a birding expert before joining us at the Brick Works. Come for Summer Weekends and then stay for a walk on the trails just to wet your beak with some passive birding.  

Want to dive deeper into birding tips for beginners? Birds Canada offers courses like Birding for Beginners if you want to learn everything you need to know to start birding wherever you are in Canada.