Chuck Almdale assembles a mini-handbook for field trip leaders on how to help others find the bird you’re looking at.
In an open area, twelve o’clock is always straight ahead, six is directly behind, three and nine are 90 degrees right and left, respectively. Other hours fall in between. For a vertical object such as a tree, twelve is the top, three is ½ way down on the right side, and so on. …12 o’clock is not simply the direction in which you happen to be looking at that moment.