How to start birdwatching

Go out early and stay still

Birds are most active in the first hours of the day, between 6 and 9 a.m., and again late in the afternoon. When you arrive somewhere, stand still for a few minutes and listen before you start looking: many birds are heard before they are seen.

Repeat the same route for a few weeks. You’ll learn which species are common and notice right away when a new one shows up.

Look for the details that help with identification

• Its size, compared with birds you already know, such as a sparrow or a pigeon.
• The shape of the bill: short and thick, long and curved, thin and straight.
• The colors and markings on the head, wings and tail.
• What it does: whether it climbs tree trunks, catches insects in flight or walks on the ground.
• Where it is: on the ground, in the treetops or near water.

Write down what you saw before opening the field guide. If you look first, your memory tends to adjust to the first picture that looks similar.

Use a field guide and apps

A field guide to the birds of Colombia helps you compare similar species. On your phone, two free apps from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are useful: Merlin Bird ID, which suggests species from a photo or a song, and eBird, where you log what you see and check what has been recorded at each place.

Go out with other people

You learn much faster with someone who already knows. Look for guided outings or birding groups. In Santander, the Ornithological Society of the Northeastern Andes (SONORA) brings together birdwatchers from the region, and in Topocoro there are local guides and hosts who know every trail.

Watch birds respectfully

• Keep your distance from nests and from birds that are breeding.
• Listen to the birds’ own songs and let them come to you: that way they keep feeding and caring for their young calmly.
• Stay on the trails and ask for permission before entering private land.
• Take your trash back with you.