Perchjournal is a beginner’s field notebook for discovering and identifying birds in cities. It encourages readers to start with the familiar species on their own streets, learning to observe shape, behaviour, habitat and field marks before relying on a guide. Its practical getting-started advice covers when and how to watch, what binoculars to consider and how to keep useful field notes.

The notebook also explains how to observe responsibly. It advises giving birds space, avoiding nests, playback and baiting, and protecting sensitive locations when sharing sightings. A city habitat guide helps readers know what to look for in parks, waterways, streets, buildings and vacant lots, with tips on how different birds use these environments.

Perchjournal’s field cards feature 14 common urban species and can be filtered by habitat and size. Each card provides identification details such as appearance, behaviour, voice, length and typical habitat. The site also includes a labelled bird diagram introducing the body-part terms used in field guides.