I have recently developed an interest in bird watching as a hobby. This would be more than just watching the feeders in my yard; I’d like to record my sightings and try to spot as many of the birds in my region (and during travel) as I can, including trips to spot specific species still on my list.
I have excellent distance vision, but I am red-green colorblind. Is that going to be a problem in identifying certain kinds of birds? I live in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US.
Colour is only one of several visual clues for identification. It's useful to a novice who gets a good look (I regard myself as a perpetual novice when it comes to birds), but shape (bill and whole bird) and behaviour are crucial too. Very few species are distinguished by colour features alone. Many species have a habit of perching where the light does funny things to the colours anyway, like among sunlit leaves. The learning curve may be a bit steeper for you, but by concentrating on other aspects you'll come to understand the birds more, and in a group of birders a different approach is useful.
Apart from these visual clues, habitat and especially sound are very useful. You may want to emphasise the latter more than many beginners.
My son is red-green colour blind, and he has the superpower that goes with colour blindness: his eyes are much less easily fooled by camouflage. My lay understanding is that colour blind people are much more sensitive to hues than to colour patterns, and camouflage is based on colour patterns. When we go to the zoo, he's our "camo critter spotter". He often gives us pointers that go something like "So, look at the back of the pen near the tree on the left. Look for the grass that isn't waving in the breeze. That's not grass, that's a tiger." Where I take a minute or two to spot something, he'll have it mapped out in seconds. The difference is astonishing.
I think you might have a few advantages for bird spotting, particularly the birds that sit quiet and still.
Fun 3-minute video on the subject:
An obstacle, but not large. The size,location,actions, calls/song, are more important than the specific colors. For example , a wood pecker is pretty easy to recognize by their vertical perching on a tree trunk (typically) and if the red markings that nearly all of them have appeared green ,I doubt that would be a problem. Warblers come in a variety of colors but the patterns , which will have some black and some white ,and the geographical location and local locations ( swamp or field, etc.) will help identify them. I think, just like any other bird-watcher , identification ability will come with experience.
Learning “Where’s the WHITE” on waterfowl and most shorebirds has helped. Also learn field marks/silhouettes of raptors and passerines. ‘Birding by ear’ is very useful. I’m a R-G medial vision deficient but also bird with knowledgeable birders. That helps as I usually get a ‘pass’ on misidentifications. I’ve volunteered for waterfowl and raptor surveys, International Bird Rescue, and docent at two regional parks; one for Sandhill Cranes. Audubon Christmas bird counts will introduce you to other birders.
If you're color blind red and green look about the same to people. However shape, and physical features are more determined factors for bird identification. Color is a huge asset in easily identifying birds., There' are 19 species of Macaw's...color is their typical factor that sets them apart.
Example pic
Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) and Military Macaw (Ara militaris)
