Alli Smith of the Cornell Ornithology Laboratory offers tips for beginners to explore the vast world of birds.

This summer, as part of The New York Times Birdwatching Project, The Times will share a series of prompts to help readers learn how to start birdwatching. Start with something basic: learn how to identify some of the most common birds seen near you.

For tips for beginners, The Times s is interviewed with Alli Smith, the project coordinator for Merlin - a bird identification app created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology - about learning to watch birds and the joy of learning it.

How do I find birds to watch?

Birds are everywhere. Even in the middle of town you can find house sparrows, starlings, pigeons, peregrine falcons. And they can be in all sorts of unexpected places: on the ground, hiding in the grass, sitting on the ledges of buildings. If you stop and observe for a few minutes, you will most likely find a bird wherever you are.

How can I learn to identify birds?

We're obviously a bit biased here, so I'm going to recommend the Merlin Bird ID app. It walks you through a series of five questions you should ask yourself when looking at a bird.

Merlin will ask you where you saw the particular bird and the period of the year. Many places see different birds depending on the season.

Then watching the bird for a while can really help. Is it tiny, like a house sparrow? Is it really big, like a goose? And the colors of the bird can also help. Is it bright and yellow and colorful? Is it solid black?

And then the behavior: what does it do? Is it visiting a bird feeder? There is a very small list, relatively, of birds likely to visit a bird feeder compared to birds found elsewhere in the environment. Does he spend a lot of time perched in a tree? Does he walk on the ground? Does it swim in water?

With all of these things put together, Merlin can give you a list of likely birds. But even if you don't use Merlin, these are the types of things you should be looking for: size, color, behavior, location, and date.

What equipment do I need to start birdwatching?

Binoculars, field guides or cameras - or travel - can help you find more birds or observe them more closely. But you definitely don't need it.

What should I keep in mind when birdwatching in the summer?

Birds are usually quietest during the hottest part of the day, so you're likely to see a lot more of them if you go sunrise birdwatching, say 6:00-10:00 approximately. Once it starts to get warm, the birds really start to calm down. They hide more in the shade. But if you can only get out in the middle of the day, try places that tend to attract birds, like near water. And then the evenings can be very pleasant too. Two or three hours before sunset, the birds begin to become more active.

What do you like about bird watching?

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" > I'm so deeply thrilled to be able to share my neighborhood, my world, with these little feathered balls of energy that bounce around and sing beautiful songs and do all this really goofy and wonderful behavior, like weaving nests in the grass and showing off their shiny feathers. Each bird is its own little treasure. Even the common birds here, like common grackles and house sparrows, are so fun to watch. They are really clumsy.

It's also special to see a rarer bird. I think they are so inspiring, these little birds that are able to fly from the southern tip of South America to Canada, to Alaska, to the Arctic to breed. And they do it twice a year. It's absolutely amazing. They are tiny and yet so determined and powerful.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.< /em >