Some bird song is memorable and people have little difficulty recognising the birds, even when they've been quiet or absent for several months. However, there are some species, including common ones, that people struggle with even after many years.
One way of tackling this dilemma is to listen to a bird song CD or tape before the Spring, perhaps while driving to and from work - half the time you may not be actively listening, but will still developing those identification skills.
Below is a list of tutorials that will help identify some of our common species. Each tutorials covers the songs of two or three species that are often confused and include some sound clips and links to others elsewhere on the internet. There are also some ways (mnemonics) that you may use to remember them.
The tutorials are:
| Tutorial | Species |
|---|---|
| Tutorial 1 | Blackbird, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush |
| Tutorial 2 | Blue Tit, Coal Tit and Great Tit |
| Tutorial 3 | Robin, Dunnock and Wren |
| Tutorial 4 | Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch |
| Tutorial 5 | Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler |
Finally, you will need to practice. Keep your ears open, listening for the songs, perhaps going to a local wood or park.
To play the sound clips in the tutorials you will need the following media players:
Free Apple Quicktime Player
MS Windows Media Player
