By scanning open areas and edges, or maybe sitting a while at a promising location, a Golden-crowned Kinglet or another interesting songbird may surprise you (photo by Nick Saunders).

We are all interested in learning how to improve our birding skills, and now you can learn how to get more out of every birding session with 8 simple ways to find more birds. You may be familiar with some of the suggestions provided in a recent All About Birds article, but there are many, many more skills to glean from the author of Find More Birds. Heather Wolf provides an engaging description of 8 birding tips to get you started, which include scanning open areas and edges, watching the sky, sitting a while, practicing following birds in flight with binoculars, studying eBird bar charts to see what birds might be present, using Merlin to help you with bird songs and calls, and to always be on the lookout for birds – always be birding.

That’s right, always be on the lookout for birds and treat every outing as a bird-finding opportunity. While running errands, driving to work or home, exercising, or golfing to name a few, pack your bin­oculars or keep a spare binocular in your car, purse, or backpack so you can zero in on an interesting bird that suddenly appears when you least expect it. Always be tuned in to movements and sounds, as well as checking potential perches and foraging spots. When traveling, use eBird to learn what birds you can expect in an area, and where local birding hotspots are located. That’s not even 11 of Heather Wolf’s birding tips, so you can check out 100 more in her new book, Find More Birds 111 Surprising Ways to Spot Birds Wherever You Are.

You can also glean a lot more information from the original article penned by Heather online for All About Birds at Find More Birds with These 8 Suggestions for Your Birding Routine | All About Birds All About Birds