So you have identified a place in nature where you can observe bird language, what we are calling a “secret spot”. What do you do when you’re at your secret spot? The first thing I recommend to people is getting to know the four directions very specifically. Awareness of the directions will help you in orienting to the bird behavior as it plays out on the landscape.
The first day you go to your secret spot you might think, ‘oh that’s east, that’s south, this is west, and that’s north’. But after going to your secret spot a few times you’ll start to realize that the sun doesn’t always rise in the same place, but that it rises in a different place in summer than in winter, so maybe east isn’t where you thought it was at all.
Maybe after being there for a few months you’ll start to realize that the sun is always in one particular place at noon so maybe that’s where south really is. Maybe you’ll go there at night and look at the North Star. Make it a goal to get to know the four directions at your secret spot. You don’t have to get it right the first day, and if you want you can use a compass.
Find a few landmarks in each direction to help you remember. Maybe a big oak tree is south of your spot, or a meadow is to the north. Get to know that area so you can map in your mind where the different birds are located.
