Activity 4: My favorite bird is the cedar waxwing.  It is about the size of a robin, with a smooth appearance and a crest.  It has a black mask and yellow-tipped tail feathers that give it its name (like dipped in wax).  It is brown and gray with yellow on its belly.   It is often in a flock and loves berries, often found in trees and bushes that bear fruit.  It makes a soft high pitched squeak or a squeak with trills.  It can be found in Canada during the breeding sesaon, then southern USA and Mexico in nonbreeding season.   It can be seen year round in the northwest, Midwest, and Northeast USA from coast to coast.

Activity 4: My favorite bird is the Northern Flicker. According to my National Geographic field guide, a call that is given year-round is a loud klee-yer. The breeding call is a long, loud series of wick-er notes. The size of the Northern Flicker is about the size of an American Robin. The tail is medium in length and spreads out moderately (to about the width of the bird’s body) in flight. The bill is long and thin and curves slightly downward. The body is moderately stout and the neck is short. The Northern Flicker’s preferred habitat is open woodlands and suburban areas. The breeding range spreads across Canada and all but the western edge of Alaska. It can be found year-round across all of the United States except Texas and the southwestern corner of the country. In winter the Northern Flicker can be found in Texas, the southern tip of California, and southwestern Arizona.

Activity 3: I saw a House Sparrow looking for food in my neighbor’s yard. He was pecking in the dirt in my neighbor’s flower bed. My guess is that he was looking for seeds that have been lying dormant (it was early December when I watched him). I also saw a Black-capped Chickadee looking for food in the bark of my neighbor’s tree. He used his beak to quickly peck in the bark. I think he or she was probably looking for insects. I saw a Dark-eyed Junco eating the seeds of the purple coneflower in my backyard. Normally the American Goldfinches in my neighborhood like to eat these seeds, so it was surprising to me to see the Dark-eyed Junco eating this food.

Favorite Bird: Eastern Blue Bird size/shape:  sl smaller than Robin, round shape; blue on top, orange belly with some white under tail; prefers sitting along garden edge in tall bushes, trees; spring/summer visitors to our Catoctin Mountains woodlands with established tall trees and open edges each year; Southern Canada through middle, eastern, southern USA; messy combination of chirps

Activity (3):  three birds looking for food Northern Cardinal: at suet feeder, searching for bugs in bushes E. Towhee: ground feeder under trees/bushes, foraging in leaf litter Downy woodpecker:  at suet feeder, feeding on insect on tree bark

Activity 2:  (3) birds - same colors 1. Dark Eyed Junco:  black eyes, gray on top, white belly light colored beak 2. Brown Headed Cowbird: Gray brown all over, gray beak, white next to head 3. White Breasted Nuthatch: White face, black cap, blue-gray upper body

Eastern Towhee size of robin, short beak, round short body Tufted Titmouse slightly smaller than robin, crested head, short beak

Activity 1: Yellow Billed Magpie and Eurasian Collard Dove, magpie has long legs, yellow bill, stands tall or crouches, dove has less neck, rarely see its feet. Activity 3: woodpecker hops up the feeder post and around the feeder from beneath, nuthatch hops up and then back down the feeder post head first, to a tree and back again, dark eyed junco hops around on the ground at the base of the feeder post.

1. Sparrows and Cardinals 2. Male house finch - red and brown; Male American Goldfinch - winter colors brown with some yellow; European Starling - black and brown. 3. Dark Eyed Junco - ground feeder and bushes; Sparrows - ground and bird feeders. The sparrows will eat from any feeder and from the ground; Red-bellied woodpecker - side feeder (suet feeder designed for woodpeckers) 4. Northern Flicker. Medium to large sized bird, rust colored face, black bars on wings, black spots on belly, grey head with red spot on back of head.

1: Sparrow and Blackbird 2: Female Sparrow, Dunnock and female Blackbird are all Brown, the Blackbird is much larger and the dunnock has a greyish throat and cheeks and also the bill is thinner than the sparrows.3: The sparrows fly to the hanging feeder, pick some seeeds an then fly back and forth from the Hedge. The Blackbird is more shy an waits until it is alone - it does Not fly onto the feeder but picks seeds or worms from the ground. The wood pigeon picks the seeds from the ground and does Not seem to mind about the sparrows. 4: The nuthatch is a small (little smaller than a sparrow) bird with a Short neck, long bill, very short legs. Its chest is rust brown and its back is gray. It has a black eyestrip. Sometimes you can see the nuthatch running heads down a tree Trunk.

Activity 1: Two birds I used Merlin to ID were the Carolina Wren and Downy Woodpecker. They were at my feeder, and I used color to identify them. The Wren was gold on the belly and had a white eyebrow followed by brown nape and back, with a pattern that became more dominant as you reached the tail. Very alert and the bill is not too long with a slight downward curve at the tip. The Downy Woodpecker was a female with no red visible, but had a black crown and eye stripe mask, white belly, black wings with white spots. The Bill had a whiteish tan spot at the end of the bill on the bird's face Infront of the eyes. Activity 2: Three birds that have the same color or close to it that I used for this was the Robin with an orange belly, the red winged blackbird with a reddish orange wing patch, and a Eastern Towhee under the wing on the side. Activity 3: The first bird I observed was a Great blue Heron in a tree, very still and foraging for food from high up towards the top of the tree. The second bird was the Black Capped Chickadee which is a favorite of mine, and it behaved very quick, alert, came to the feeder, picked up black oiled sunflower seeds and would fly back to a branch or stay at the feeder, holding the seed with its feet, and cracked it open with its beak. The third bird I observed was the White Breasted Nuthatch. A little less quick and would also take food and fly to a branch. The Black Capped Chickadee and Nuthatch showed a dominance battle at points with each other at the feeder.  Both hopped and constantly looked up at their surroundings between eating. Our feeder is right at the edge of the woods on a hill where there are a good number of hawks and raptors in the area which might to me explain the alert behavior. Activity 4: My favorite bird is the Northern Cardinal. It has a red belly, darker red wings, short legs, black mask and throat patch, pointed crest on the top of the head, and orange bill. Beautiful bird.

I think I have a much better idea how to id birds now.  I don't go out much, but we have quite a lot of wildlife since we live near a canal.  I FINALLY have my binoculars adjusted and now know how to use them.  Thank you very much for that.  My harness is being ordered now.  I hope to participate in the bird count next week!

Activity 1: One larger bird that showed up at my feeder was the northern flicker, which is one of the largest birds I have seen by my feeder, and in comparison, A more medium sized woodpecker with a red cap has also been seen, which is smaller than the flicker (downy woodpecker).   Activity 2: two different birds I have seen frequently this year, were both black and yellow. One was larger, and had a black cap, while the other was about 2/3 the size and had black all up and down the dorsum of the bird. the larger bird was in fact a goldfinch (american) while the smaller was a lesser goldfinch.   I was not at feeder today, but last week I saw three very different birds at feeder, one was small, and had a reddish/orange breast, and would walk down the feeder towards the ground (red-breasted nuthatch), another was small and dark headed with gray (mostly) body and hopped around the grass and rocks, and stick piles. Finally, a small brown bird with red breast and red cap loves to sit on the tray or cylindrical feeder. Activity 4: My favorite bird is the American Robin! medium sized with yellow bill, dark head, and beatiful orange breast. Likes to hop around my yard looking for earthworms, and fly to tops of trees and roofs to sing its beautiful song. Has a wonderful song which has a beautiful vibrato as well as very characteristic sounds. Common but amazing, and reminds me how much of how I love to be aware of birds around me. I have even seen a robin show up at my tray feeder on days, and it was the first bird recorded at my feeder this summer!

Activity 1: Two birds I could tell apart based on shape were a California Towhee and some House Finches. The California Towhee is a larger “robin-sized” bird with a long tail compared to the Houses Finches which are a smaller “sparrow sized bird”. Activity 2:  Three different birds that have black on them would be a Black Phoebe, a Dark-eyed Junco and a Lesser Goldfinch. The Black Phoebe is a medium sized flycatcher that is almost entirely black except for its white belly, making it look like it is wearing a tuxedo. The small Dark-eyed Juncos markings vary within its different populations. The ones I see most commonly are the Oregon subspecies, where the males have a dark black head opposed to the slate-colored ones which are almost entirely gray. Finally, the Lesser Goldfinch are a small yellow bird that has black wings and males have black on the top of their heads. Activity 3: Three different birds searching for food would be a yellow-rumped warbler, a red-breasted nuthatch and a white-crowned sparrow.  The yellow-rumped warbler can be seen flying through the air like an acrobat chasing small insects and also moving quickly from branch to branch. The red-breasted nuthatch makes his way around and upside on the branches of a tree, I often see them on pines checking out pinecones.  Compared to the white-crown sparrows who hop and peck around on the ground. Activity 4: One of my favorite birds is the Northern Flicker. According to Merlin bird ID it is described as a large brown colored woodpecker featuring a large black crest on its front with black polka dots below and black barring on its back. When in flight a large white patch can be seen on its rump. The underside of its wings can be red or yellow depending on the location where you see it. Typically, the yellow is seen in Eastern North America versus the red in Western North America. They are found in trees but can also be seen on the ground looking for ants or worms.

• Activity 1 - When I was out photographing birds in one of the nearby forest preserves, I saw both a Great Egret and a Double-crested Cormorant. Although it was pretty easy to tell the difference between the two based on their colors, the egret is significantly larger and has much longer legs than the cormorant.
• Activity 2 - On the same outing, I found a couple of White-throated Sparrows as well as an Orange-crowned Warbler. These birds are similarly sized, but after looking up their distinguishing features, I learned that the White-throated Sparrow have a flash of yellow right around their eye, while the Orange-crowned Warbler doesn't and often has yellow on their lower tail feathers.
• Activity 3 - I saw many different food-finding behaviors when I was out looking for birds. Mallards and geese were out in the lakes searching for food near the surface of the water, and I saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and White-breasted Nuthatch up along the tree trunks searching for insects!

• Activity 4 - My favorite bird is the Blue Jay, and they are very easy to identify in my area by their striking blue and black colors, average size, and well-known (and loud!) song. They seem to like foraging in both trees and on the ground, and are also common at feeders.

Activity 1: The difference in shape between a Blue Jay and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Blue Jay's are several sizes larger with bigger beaks and longer legs. Easy to identify with noticeable crest, as well.

Activity 1 I identified a Sparrow and a Dove by their shape.

Activity 1: Swallows have forked tails, but chimney swifts do not. Activity 2: Indigo buntings are a medium hue of blue almost all over except wings, blue jays are blue on the back, crest, wings, and tail feathers, and eastern bluebirds are blue on the back, tail and most of the head. Activity 3: Great blue herons fish by quickly stabbing their beaks into the water from a standing position, mallards dabble and tip their tails out of the water as they do so, and grey catbirds pry berries from fruits (seemingly usually around head height). Activity 4: Canada geese are large with long necks, moderate beaks and legs, and short tails, they have black necks and heads with white chinstraps and light brown bodies, and they have an iconic clear and somewhat high-pitched honk preceded by a subtle low vocalization.

Activity 2 - Goldfinch and Warbler.  Goldfinch slightly longer, but only by about.5 inch.  Male goldfinch has black cap, black wings.  Male warbler has black”mask” , like the Lone Ranger.

Activity 4: Wood Thrush 1. Size: similar to a robin 2. Color/Markings: primary colors white and brown. Dots on chest. 3. Behavior: Looking for food on the ground Photo from Cornell Lab All About Birds

Activity 2- Snapped this image (best one I could get😬) while hiking in the mountains. The ID from Merlin came back as a Lesser Goldfinch. Using the Sibley guide to confirm, did not match up. Looking at the coloration and beak shape and size, thought it might be a female Western Tanager. I posted my photo and suspected ID’s to a local bird watching Facebook page. The group was very helpful in correcting and confirming my identification as a female Western Tanager. Great learning experience!

I am brand new to bird watching. Looking through my binoculars, saw a robin, sparrow, and blue jay this morning. Just installed a hummingbird feeder in my yard, saw one for the first time at the feeder a few minutes ago. I’m using the Merlin app to identify birds by their sound when walking through a nearby forest preserve— having a hard time seeing them, though. Never knew we had such a variety of birds so close by!

Activity 1 I have seen various various woodpeckers in my yard. It is sometimes difficult to tell them apart since they can be the same size and have similar plumage coloration. I saw a woodpecker last night at a bird feeder. I wasn't sure if it was a downy, hairy, or pileated woodpecker, which I have seen in the past. I used the Merlin app to help be determine that it was in fact a hairy woodpecker because it had a long bill as long as its head compared to a downy woodpecker which has a short bill. I also was able to tell that it wasn't a pileated woodpecker because of its small size compared to the much larger pileated woodpecker. Plus the shape of its neck is much shorter than a pileated woodpecker.   Activity 2 I saw three different birds (a black-capped chickadee, an American goldfinch, and a blue jay) in my yard with the color black on different parts of their bodies. A black-capped chickadee has a black "cap" on the top of its head and a black patch on its throat. In contrast, an American goldfinch has black feathers on its forehead and wings. Meanwhile, blue jays have black "necklaces"around their necks and black and white markings on their wings and tails.   Activity 3 I saw a mourning dove foraging for food on the ground under some bird feeders in my backyard. They eat pretty quickly and then fly off. I've seen house sparrows eat from my bird feeders for lengthy periods of time. I have also seen them hop around on the ground looking for food. The are many cardinals that come to eat seeds from my bird feeder. They love sunflower seeds. I have also seen them hopping around on the ground foraging for food. I read that they also forage in bushes or up in trees. Activity 4 One of my favorite backyard birds is the American crow. It is the largest of the small birds. It has a short, stout bill and tail. It has a short neck. It has broad wings compared to other crow species. It is completely black with wings that can appear purplish in sunlight. They make a loud caw, caw, caw, sound. They are highly social and live in flocks. They are often aggressive towards other birds. They live mostly in open habitats over much of Canada and the United States.

I was so excited to find out about the Bird Cams!! The cam at Cornell was very active. I saw a couple of different woodpeckers - one make one maybe a female same species. I also spotted a dove. on the MT Osprey Cam, it looked like a sterling was hijacking the nest!!

Activity 1 - I watched the bird feeder on the Bird Cam.  The two birds I watched were the Mourning Dove and the Florida Scrub Blue Jay.  Each bird seemed to like the sunflower seeds or seeds on the flat surface of the bird feeder, yet the Blue Jay like the suet better.  One commonality in their habitat is the open forest.  The Dove is less migratory than the Blue Jay. Activity 2  -   The three birds I observed through the Field Guide was the Grosbeck (Red Breasted), Cardinal (female) and the white headed Woodpecker.  The Grosbeak has the Red, Black and white colors and the Red is found on its chest.  The White headed Woodpecker has the red on the back of the head.  The female Northern Cardinal has a red beak and red wash on the wing.  ( black color is minimal).  I think I would have difficulty identifying the Grosbeak  and the Woodpecker at first sight by shape or different Woodpeckers and Sapsuckers.  I will get it. Activity 3 -  The three birds I observed above live in habitats which are open .  Grosbeak behavior lives solitary or in pairs during breeding.  Forages in trees, shrubs and on the ground eating seeds, insects, tree flowers.  Woodpecker behavior drums on tree trunks and demands territorial rights on utility poles, buildings and eats insects and larvae and eggs, but also seeds, nuts, berries, spiders and snails.  The Downy Woodpecker feeds on branches but further out.  Cardinal behavior is solitary or pairs during breeding.  Forages in trees, bushes or on the ground.  Eats insects, seeds grains, fruits and snails.  Drinks sap from holes drilled by sapsuckers. Activity 4 - My favorite birds is the Lark Sparrow, California Quail, Egret, and Hummingbirds.  All of these birds are gregarious with me and all get my attention.  I have been observing the Egret and its behaviors.  It is the Great Egret and its shape is a long neck and thin legs with white feathers or plummage with a yellow beak.  I do not hear a sound/song but I am certain there is one.  In my observation, the G. Egret feeds in open areas such as marshes as habitats.  I have seen it flies singular and, in a flock.  Roosting occurs in trees at night (I have not seen this).  It eats small aquatic insects, frogs, snakes and crayfish.  There is some migration.  Ruth Bates