[2] Yesterday, a large flock of White-throated Sparrows descended upon my yard and happily ate milo/millet that my resident squirrels love to scatter. I immediately noticed that some of the sparrows were of a slightly different colouring than the others. I used Merlin, my Peterson Field Guide (Fifth Edition), and Chris Earley's Sparrows & Finches to learn more about the tan-striped morph of this species. The white-striped WTS much more easily stands out amongst the other beige/brown birds in my yard, including the Mourning Dove, which has a much more uniform colour, and the Brown Thrasher, which has dark streaking on his underparts, and white wing bars. The photo that I have inserted is of a tan-morph that had the misfortune to fly into a window. Happily, he survived the ordeal. [3] In looking at birds that are foraging for food, I went to Allaboutbirds to see whether the WTS has any particularly distinguishing characteristics when pecking at the ground for seed, which it does not. This was confirmed by the Project Feederwatch app. The Mourning Dove feeds in a similar manner but is less likely to fly from spot to spot like the WTS. In fact, I note that the dove does not mind sitting/standing in a pile of feed for relatively long periods of time. My faithful Dark-eyed Juncos, being sparrows, act in a similar manner to the WTS. As a bonus, a female Brown-headed Cowbird joined the group of WTS under a feeder and walked from spot to spot looking for seed. Although grey/beige, it is easily distinguished by size and shape of bill -- finch-like -- from the sparrows and Mourning Dove. The PFW app confirmed that the cowbird eats a wide variety of food, although I note that she seems to prefer milo/millet to cracked corn, both of which my posse of squirrels delight in scattering on the ground. [4] Today's favourite bird is the Dark-eyed Junco (slate-coloured) because most of them have already migrated north, east and south-east for the slowly approaching summer season, and I will soon begin to miss them. They are readily identified before I even see them by their trilling, high-pitched simple song. They are also the only two-toned grey bird in my yard, with the upper part of the body being a darker slate-coloured grey, hence their former name. The flit from spot to spot in my yard looking for milo/millet, although I do see them eating, one piece at a time, safflower. They also fly over to eat bits of nyjer and sunflower hearts that fall from tube feeders. This is a friendly and non-aggressive species that I thoroughly enjoy watching and feeding.

Activity 3: I watched a bluebird perch on a branch of walnut tree, fly down to ground to catch something and then return to its original perch.  It did this several times before flying to a perch in an elm tree nearby.  It resumed its routine of flying to ground, then back up to perch.  In between watching the bluebird, I also saw a phoebe perch on a branch on an apple tree, fly to the ground and then return to the apple tree, repeatedly.  A field sparrow was in the hedgerow that is around the orchard, and it hopped along the ground quickly before hopping up into the hedgerow and then returning to the ground a few feet away.  It was difficult to find when I looked away to check on the other two birds, but when I was patient, its jerky, quick movements would draw my eye and I would be able to locate it again.  I looked all three up on Merlin and listened to their calls.

I became a bit obsessed with the photo of the Downy that was posted by Marlene. At first glance, I tried to use our learning in an earlier part of the lesson by looking at the size of the bill. With the bird being on a bit of an angle, it is tough. My first thought was that the bill seemed rather large for a Downy but then I noticed the black spots on the underside of the tail, which makes it a Downy. I next opened Merlin -- thank you, Cornell, for this great app! -- and swiped through the photos of both birds. The second photo of a Downy was taken on a similar angle to the one that Marlene posted, and the shape of the bill -- more conical and less pointed -- also suggests that it is a Downy. What do others think? And, thank you, Marlene, for posting that photo. It gave me something to obsess over this drizzly morning!

I captured 4 male American Gold Finches at my window feeder yesterday. Although we normally think of Goldfinches as bright yellow birds, they actually have a few distinctive colors. In summer they are bright yellow with a black forehead, black wings with white markings and white patches above and below their tails. Lots of colors when you look closely.

I used my awesome Merlin App to identify the below woodpecker. I wasn't sure if it was a Hairy Woodpecker or a Downy. I had always thought it was a Downy, but after going through the bird ID lesson I thought maybe it was really a Hairy. The Merlin App identified it as a Downy. Would you agree?

I enjoyed using Merlin in the activities practicing bird IDs of birds in my yard.   I live in a rural area of the eastern panhandle of WV. The ID of birds ID’d by shape Cardinals and Blue Jays  were IDd first try.  The 3 birds with black and red; red wing black bird, rose breasted grossbeak, and the hairy woodpecker also easy to ID. My my favorite bird is a Baltimore Oriole. It is medium/small, the body is round.  It has a brilliant orange breast and black head and hood.  The tail is mostly black with an orange tip.  The wings are black with white stripes.  It has a very pointed straight grey beak. This bird visits my back yard regularly I have put out orange halves and an oriole feeder but I have never seen him use either.  He and his mate visit the yard at different times, I have never seen them together.  I haven’t found their nest this year but 2 years ago it was in a large walnut tree in easy view of our back porch and we could watch them taking turns to feed their young.

All these birds below come to our feeding area - we throw some seed on the ground and put some in a feeded.  We also have a hummingbird feeder.  The area around the feeding area is undeveloped Sonoran desert with lots of trees and plants. Activity 1: 2 birds different just by shape.  Curve bill Thrasher  and Gambel Quail. The thrasher is slimmer and has a curved bill. The quail is plump and has shorter legs plus a top notch. Activity 2: 3 different birds same color but different parts of the body.  These are in the grey category but quite different. Albert's Towhee a drab grayish brown all over except a bit darker face and pinkish bill that resembles a cardinal bill.  The feed mostly on the ground scratching with both feet.  Morning doves are grey mostly on the back - breast and belly are whitish. They also have tails more pointed than the Albert's Towhee.  The Curved Bill thrasher has a grey back but the breast and belly has spots but the bill is slightly curved. Activity 3: Look for three different birds searching for food today. The Gila Woodpecker visits the seed feeder and the hummingbird feeder.  We think the Gila and Northern Flicka may get more of the hummingbird food that the hummingbirds do. The also get insects off the tree trunks.  The black throated sparrow tries to horn in on the doves at the feeder - they have some luck but they are very polite (no bullies).  They also peck around the ground and explores the creosote in the area for insects. . The Cactus Wren rarely comes in to eat the food we put out. We see them hoping everywhere - sometimes flipping twigs and small rocks to find food. Activity 4: Favorite bird - Phainopepla.  The are robin size (7-8 inches), slim with a spiky crest.  The look black unless the sunlight is right and then they are really shiny (almost purple).  The have red eyes.  They feed on the mistletoe - some say they even plant mistletoe seeds (but maybe not on purpose). When they fly, there a white wing patch. ,

I have been bird watching most days (even for just a few minutes before work) since I started this class. I have used Merlin to identify about 10 different bird species within a mile or two of my house. We do have hawks nearby and even in my own yard, but I am struggling still to identify the difference between the hawks.   Regarding activity 2, I think I have been able to identify 4 different black birds in my area - red winged blackbird (easy with the red patch on the wings!), common grackle with the navy shiny hood, the American crow and the black-billed magpie.

I used my Merlin app, the Bird ID and Explore Birds features, using characteristics and my location to scan through lists with pics, descriptions, sounds. Wonderful. I sat in my backyard and walked in Caroline park, filled with California natives. 1) Northern Mockingbird with well proportioned slim elegant body and medium neck, sitting on a wire with long narrow tail pitched up, ¿for balance? Lesser Goldfinch with small ovoid body and conical beak. 3)Maybe Coopers Hawk soaring and circling above; House Sparrow scratching dry leaves in a shaded quiet area; Anna’s Hummingbird hovering with whirling wings at a tubular flower at head height.

I took a photo of a bird at my feeder.  I used the Merlin Bird App to identify the bird with a photograph I took.  It was a House Sparrow. I posted the information onto my Facebook account.  I have let a lot of people know about this course and I think that some friends have enrolled.  It is a great resource and I hope to be able to use it soon when I explore the outdoors.

1.  We have a lot of grey- or dun-colored birds in our neighborhood, including three different kinds of doves (whitening, mourning, Inca), all of which are easy to tell apart from the chachalaca, which to me has a shape that is sort of a cross between a chicken and a miniature dinosaur!  All are often on the ground, but even in dim light the shape, size--and the weird call--make the chachalaca easy to pick out. 3.  In my back yard this morning, I saw two different feeding strategies.  A number of birds came to the feeders to eat seed, and a male grackle caught a small frog that he was repeatedly dunking in the birdbath!

I love Northern Cardinals.  The are medium sized, the males are mostly Bright red with a black face.  They emit loud chirps regularly in my bacxkyard and often camp out on branches of large trees.

My favorite backyard bird has a black head, white breast with red streaks on each side. Its back and wings and tail are black with streaks of white.

I decided to sort out and identify some of the little brown birds that come to my yard. I now know I have  house sparrows with his dark head, white cheeks, fat black beak  and beige abdomen. I have his wife who is mottled brown with a beige abdomen and a yellow beak and a puffy light eye line. I also have  purple finches. The male is more easily identified  by his reddish head and back but the female is mottled brown  with brown spots spot on her abdomen and a white line in back of he eye. I also have pine siskins. Both male and female look like the female finch  ( mottled brown and brown spots on the abdomen) except they have a slender sharp beak and yellowish stripes on their wings and tail.  Now I can also see that I have a white crested sparrow and gold finches that are brownish in the winter. Game changer!

Today I saw large bodied Canada Geese grey and in white in color flying by and at my birdbath medium size birds Cardinals, Robins and Blue Jays.   The Robin was running on the grass to different spots to listen for worms, the sparrow was hopping around and then pecking  in the dirt.

Great Blue Heron, Whidbey island Washington at dusk

Activity 4 : Favorite bird : Shikra (Accipiter Badius) Shape like : Bald eagle Size : Between crow and goose. Color pattern : Pale blue, grey upper parts + Brown, orange bars + white thighs + lightly barred tail feathers + root of the bill is yellow Habitat : Open fields of semi arid regions, resident of India. Found all over India. Behavior : Sits upright on high trees. Flies like eagles. Hunts small rodents. Sound :  High pitch short duration peews with substantial gaps.

• If I am not wrong this is the bird sitting on the Merlin App's "start bird id" tab. Can someone from Bird Academy confirm ?

   

I can sit in my backyard to do these activities, and on a road nearby. 1.  Two birds I can tell apart by shape are the Bluejay and the robin.  The first is larger and has a crest.  Inside the cover of the Peterson guide are roadside silhouettes that are fun to examine. 2.  Three birds with the same color:  black, but on different places of their bodies. a.  Black-capped Chickadee has a black crown and bib b.  Dark-eyed Junco with very dark coloration about the eyes c.  American Goldfinch:  male with black forehead patch, wings, and tail 3.  Three different birds searching for food today. a.  Hairy Woodpecker:  clings to suet feeder, pokes long bill in to get his food b.  Dark-eyed Junco:  was on the ground eating seeds from the feeder, also had a little bit of plant material in his mouth.  Making a nest? c.  Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker seen nearby over the past week or so, on two roads nearby:  on ground searching for insects and worms and flying low over meadowland 4.  Favorite bird:  the American Goldfinch.  This is a small finch 4 to 5 inches in length, with a small head, long wings, a short tail.  In summer the male is bright yellow with black forehead and wings.  The female is a dusky faded yellow with black and white wingbars.  The goldfinch is active and social, traveling in flocks, and is monogamous.  Pairs sing the same song.  They can be seen in fields, orchards, backyards.  They eat sunflower seed, thistle, elm, and nijer seeds.  They reside all over the USA and migrate South in the winter.

Activity 3 Bird 1 : Black kite was catching pigeons. Bird 2 : White throated kingfisher looking for mice. Bird 3 : House sparrow was eating flowers on aamla tree.

Activity 2 Bird 1 : Copper Smith Barbet   Bird 2 :  Black rumped flameback woodpecker   Bird 3 : Yellow Crowned Woodpecker  

Namaste to All,  I am Abhimanyu from North-western India. Activity 1 Bird 1 - Balck kite - Milvus Migrans - I see it daily, this is s mean machine. Hunts pigeons and other small birds. Sharp calls, glides down in big circles and attacks doves and smaller birds. Loves electricity poles to sit on. I have also noticed that it has fixed times of meals. Picture not clicked by me , searched for the name in my pocket field guide which is a customized guide just for my city Jaipur. Funny things : Yesterday I saw this bird of prey being chased away by a dove. Activity 1 : Bird 2 : Greater Coucal Smaller in size than the black kite but bigger than a pigeon. Black kite is broader than this bird.

1. Grey Butcherbird and Noisy Minor. Butcherbird is sleeker. Easy to identify on Merlin. 2. Australian Raven, Pied Currawong, Australian Magpie. All have black. Raven is all black. Currawong and Magpie black and white. Magpie has white on nape of neck which can be seen at some distance and for me is a defining characteristic. 3. Sulphur Crested Cockatoo. Sitting in Eucalyptus tree eating seeds and tip pruning tree. Laughing Cookaburra sitting on tree branch looking for prey on ground. Dives and takes small lizard. King Parrot in camellia tree. Taking pollen / nectar from flowers. 4. Any Albatros. Large bird, flying effortlessly on wind. Large wing span, shaped for efficiency, found. Often hard for me to identify exact species as usually in flight moving with the wind. Amazing birds. Need to know more  and learn more. Merlin some use. King

Activity 1: practice using Merlin app to identify two familiar birds with different shapes: Dark-eyed Junco, and Black-capped Chickadee: the app was immediately effective in identifying both from the data I put in. Activity 2: use the Merlin app to identify three different birds that have the same colors on different parts of their bodies (and I went for birds of the same size and shape): Robin, Varied Thrush, and Spotted Towhee. Again the app gave the correct identifications for each given variation in data: feeding habits. Activity 3: Identify three birds using Merlin based on different feeding habits (but I chose similar size and shape): Downy Woodpecker (on trees), Golden-crowned Sparrow (on the ground), and Pine Siskin (at the feeder.) And Merlin gave me the correct answer right away. Loving this app -- and would totally trust it with any new bird sighting! Activity 4: Use the bird ID strategies to describe a favorite bird: Bald Eagle: Size: Goose or bigger; Shape: Upright raptor when perched, long, flat wing span when in flight, finger-like wing tips, head projects beyond body (unlike a vulture); Color and pattern markings: Brown, mottled with grey, and white: obvious white head and tail feathers on adults, juveniles all brown with white patches under wings in flight and on underbelly; Behavior: perches in tall trees, especially with bare branches, hunts over water or forest, soaring and swooping, flies in family groups; Range: all year here in the Pacific coast region of BC, Canada, reliably seen especially in spring and early summer over the ocean and around the forest treetops; Sounds: screeching cry and high-pitched chuckles, unmistakeable when heard nearby.

Most of these were done from my yard. Activity 1: European Starling and House Finch. The starlings have long, slender bills. The finches have a lot stubbier bills that are taller. The starlings are a lot bigger than the house finches, they are about the size of a robin. The finches are sparrow-sized. Activity 2: The European starling, Eurasian Collared Dove, and House Sparrow, all sport the color black. The European starling is all black with brown speckles.The male House Sparrow has black as a sort of bib and as spectacles. The Eurasian Collared Dove only has black on the "collar" on the back of it's neck. Activity 3: The European Starling (there are a lot by my house if you couldn't tell,) likes to probe in the ground for bugs to eat. Robins do this, too, but like to pull up whole worms! I've seen house finches eating the leaf buds on one of our trees. Activity 4: Red-tailed Hawks vary in color pattern, but usually have brown backs and heads, and can have tan undersides with black speckles. Their cry is a high, piercing KyEEAAHHH. They often glide high on thermal drafts, then descend with claws outstretched to snatch their prey.