Activity 2: The three birds that live around in my area all year around are the American Goldfinch, the Cedar Waxwing, and the Mallard. The other three birds however that only stay in my area for a bit and migrate are the Dark-eyed junco, the Chipping Sparrow, and the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The birds I listed that stay all year around I would see them quite often at my bird feeders or hiking and would see the ducks mostly Mallards at a pond or a lake. The birds that pass through are the Dark-eyed junco and at the time I did not know what they were are until I started looking through my bird identification books. The Chipping Sparrow was a bird I never saw before in the area. I read how they would come by here in the summer time for breeding and would go South. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak I saw in the begging of May going to my feeders. These birds migrate late in the spring and early in the fall.

• Activity 2: Migrant birds: Golden-crowned Sparrow, Green Heron, Chipping Sparrow.
• I chose these three because I see the Golden-crowns a lot when they're here, the Heron rarely, and I've only gotten one Chipping Sparrow, and that after an exhaustive study of one recording I had during peak migration. I can never find that thing, especially in my home county; every time I think I've got it for sure this time, I track it down and it's a Dark-eyed Junco. doing it's level-best to sound just like a Chipping Sparrow. We are just barely on the western fringes of their breeding range here in the northern Willamette Valley, but while not exactly common, they don't appear to be too rare here. Except for me.
• Green Herons I've gotten better at finding, or maybe they're just more abundant here during the summer than during earlier migration; I've birded with varying degrees of intensity for a decade or so now, but this is my first year of birding every day for months on end so I'm still learning so much. This is also not exactly a Green Heron hot spot, but they are here.
• I consider the GC to be my 'spark sparrow;' when I first started birding and saw these chubby little guys with the brilliant yellow and white crown stripes I just thought they were the coolest thing ever, and I miss them when they're gone. I'm really hoping to get one for my back yard list one day, but I don't think I have the right habitat. Maybe one'll pass through for me someday while I happen to be watching or listening.
• My year-round birds are the Dark-eyed Junco, American Robin and Great Blue Heron. I was under the mistaken impression that the Juncos were snowbirds here; (we mostly get the Oregon group (appropriate, being that I live in Oregon) but I have gotten one of the much more rare (for here) cismontane 'Cassiar' juncos, so that was really cool. Saw him twice a week apart, hanging with some Oregon birds way out in the woods. We appear to be at the northern edge of a patch in the Willamette Valley where they disappear for part of the summer, and while I do get them much more rarely now, I don't think they ever disappear entirely. But I enjoy the flocks that come to scratch in my yard in the winter.
• Robins, the quintessential American bird. I was surprised to find that they migrate because they seem so common, but they are much more scarce around here these days than they were  a couple months ago. When the Western Tanagers and Black-headed Grosbeaks arrive it can sometimes drive me crazy trying to suss out the songs between the three, but I keep getting better the more I listen.
• The Great Blue Heron is another favorite. Herons remind me that birds are dinosaurs maybe more than any other bird; I always find myself very glad that I'm not a fish or a frog whenever I spot any type of heron on the hunt. They are the official city bird of Portland; they are very abundant here because it's so wet, but they are fairly common throughout most of the state. There's been a push for some time to change the Oregon state bird from the Western Meadowlark to the Great Blue. Nothing against the Meadowlark, other than it's the state bird for like 6 states, and so far as I know, the Great Blue isn't the official bird of any state. Some originality here, please.
• Activity 4: My favorite local spot is Boardman Wetlands, and the birds I most expect to find here now are Mallards (always), Red-winged Blackbirds, and Song Sparrows. In 6 months there will probably be a lot of Green-winged Teal, and some Buffleheads and if I'm lucky some Common Mergansers, which are my spark bird.

For activity 2 I will briefly describe 3 birds that are residents in my area, and then find 3 likely birds I would see in my area 6 months from now.

• Residents: House finch, American Crow, and Mourning Dove.

I regularly see these birds in my neighborhood year round. The house finches are very timid of my presence, much less so than the larger mourning doves. The american crows enjoy perching on bare branches around the neighborhood or the street lights. Sometimes I see groups of three foraging or calling, too.

• Migrants: White crowned sparrow, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, American Pipit.

The white-crowned sparrows are my favorite migrant here. I first noticed them during my time in college, and noted their disappearance in the spring and summer before I started birdwatching. They are present in some U.S. areas year round, but here they are non-breeding during the winter and fall. The Ruby Crowned Kinglet is a bird I only recently learned was migratory. I no longer hear its short grating calls in the bushes or trees this season, but look forward to seeing them again, months from now. I've seen large flocks of American pipits in a local community park in the grass. After looking at their distribution on the ebird app, I do notice that I haven't seen any recently. They arrive here in the fall and stay up until late spring.

In my community, Canada geese, mallards, blue jays, bald eagles, and mourning doves are year-round residents.  The arrival of American robins and red-winged blackbirds are an event every March.  This year I hope to see an Eastern bluebird, which lives here in summer and fall.  I've never seen one! The animated range maps are fascinating.  Watching the migration patterns over my state was very enlightening.

I chose to complete Activity 3 since I recently got a finch feeder. I had no idea that the color differences in the male American goldfinches were so different! I *think* I've actually been seeing them without realizing who they were!

I like loons, but only was familiar with summer common loons. As I got more into birding in the last few years, I became familiar with winter common loons. I didn't realize they changed coloration for some reason, until I saw an injured one near my park. I called on it and they captured it for rehab. There's not a lot that stick around our area--most just pass through on their way to northern Michigan. Because of the color change in another group of birds, I signed up for the course on warblers so I can identify them better when they pass through in spring and fall.

Birds that are here all year Canada Geese- even though I live in Seattle, not Canada, the Canada Goose is a year round resident at my local lake. They are huge and messy and aggressive on land. They seem much less vexing when they are on the water. Black Capped Chickadee - mentioned in the opening video to this module, this little bird is a year round resident and is pretty easy to see and hear in neighborhoods. Glaucous Winged Gull - I live near the water and this gull is by far the most common in the area.   Birds that Migrate  - I took a waterfowl class and lots of ducks come to the Puget Sound area from Canada and Alaska to overwinter. Horned Grebe - a small slender diving duck that I've confused with the Western Grebe. Brant - a large elegant duck that I've seen in recent weeks in large flocks that challenged my bird counting abilities. American Wigeon - A medium sized duck that I often see hanging out in large flocks.

Activity 2: I've seen tons of the year round residents: cardinal, blue jay, red-bellied woodpecker, tufted titmouse...lots more. For part-timers, this year I met pine siskins. I've seen hooded mergansers, which according to Merlin are "likely" in my zip code but not year-round, although the map does say that this area is within their year-round habitat. Still hoping to see some sandhillls fly over...

Activity 1: Northern Cardinal (Doesn’t change location much, but amount does change.)  with Blackburnian Warbler (moves a long distance) Scarlet Tanager with Western Tanager  Similar but opposite sides of the country.  Both go down to Central America. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Eastern US down to Central America)  with Rufous Hummingbird (Mexico to Canada) Sandhill Crane (Alaska & Canada, Florida)  with Yellow-bellied (Eastern Canada & Central America) Flycatcher What stands out to you about them? What patterns do you notice? Does anything surprise you? Share your observations in the discussion. Activity 2: Year Round: Great Blue Heron,  Ring-Necked Pheasant, Mourning Dove Part of the Year:  Bald Eagle, Merlin, Red-Headed Woodpecker I’ve seen a Red-headed Woodpecker, and a Ring-Necked Pheasant.  I’ve heard a Mourning Dove. Activity 3: Goldfinches in winter have much more subdued colors than in summer. Black cap of summer is missing in winter. Loons in summer have vibrant greens and browns while those in winter have mostly dull browns and sometimes white. Loons in summer have a black & white pattern on their backs, but those in winter have patterns with less contrast. Activity 4: My favorite birding spot is the feeder outside our house.  I expect to find Red-winged Blackbirds, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves. In 6 months:  I expect to find these same birds.

#1) How interesting to see the variety in migrations. I could see that clockwise motion in a few, where I had always assumed migration was a symmetric boomerang! I could see that some birds move quickly whereas others slowly spread. #2) Here in Louisiana, I am likely to see Cardinals, mockingbirds and blue jays (backyard sightings confirm this), and we do get migrations of ruby-throated hummingbirds, indigo buntings, and great crested flycatchers more in the summer. #3) I would have assumed that the winter colors in these birds were juveniles. I hadn't realized that it could change so much from season to season.

I joined the Ontario birds group on Facebook. Every day there are amazing photographs of bird. Participants are always thrilled to spot a Northern Shrike, Snow Bunting or Ruby-throated hummingbird. Today I learned that these birds in fact only stay in my area for a certain portion of the year, so their sightings are unusual. On the other hand, Red-winged Blackbirds, Northern Flickers and Bald Eagles can be spotted easily any day of the year in my neighbourhood as they don't migrate.

Activity 1: Northern Cardinal is a short distance migrator.  The year round range is mostly in North America.  The Blackburnian warbler comes from South America through the gulf states on their way to northern North America.  A long distance migrator. Scarlet Tanager non-breeding territory is primarily western and central South America traveling through Central America into the gulf states and into upper Midwest, Midwest, and northeastern United States. The Western Tanager breeding season is located in Mexico and Central America with very little into South America.  They migrate primarily through Mexico into the western United States.  Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Rufous Hummingbird share a similar non-breeding territory, with the Ruby-throated extending through southern Mexico into Central America.  The Rufous being mostly central and western Mexico.  However, their breeding territories vary widely.  Rufous is primarily the Pacific Northwest and Western/Coastal Canada, southeastern Alaska.  The Ruby-throated is along the western bank states of the Mississippi River across the eastern half of the country up through eastern Canada. Sandhill Crane with Yellow-bellied Flycatcher are both long distance migrators, but the Yellow-bellied flycatcher travels what looks like a greater distance. The Sandhill goes from Alaska and north-central Canada, upper Midwest to Florida, the southeast, and Texas/Oklahoma.  Most migrate starting in mid-late April and make the travel north in May, then again in September, with some being as late as November. Activity 2: Three year round: Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, and Northern Cardinal.  I am familiar with all of these species and see them regularly.  The Cardinal is one of the most vocal calling during much of the year with a distinct call and of course bright coloration of the males. Black-capped chickadees are quite common around feeders in suburban and wood/field areas.  Three rarely seen in our area:  Horned Lark, which I have seen once, Hoary Redpoll which I have never seen, and Rose-breasted Grossbeak, which we usually only see during the spring and summer breeding season. Activity 3: Both the Common loon and American Goldfinch male all lose their bright coloration. Though it seems the loons tend to lost more of the distinct color patterns in addition to their bright coloration (albeit only black and white).  Most of the Goldfinches yellow fades, but some of the black and white patterns remain. Activity 4: The Dark-eyed junco tends to disappear during July and reappears in August, likely during nestling and molting times. American Tree Sparrow is a November through May resident, not appearing during June through September, so is likely a short distance or migrator who breeds in southern Canada.

I loved watching the catbirds in my yard in Philadelphia last summer—when I started watching birds in April, they were a discovery that amazed me because they were everywhere and obvious but I had never noticed them before. Then, they disappeared. Now, having watched the animated map, I can see where they went and when! I was hoping to catch up with them when I came to Florida in early December, but no dice. Now, from the map, it seems I was a month late. But no worries, I will be back in Philly by the time they return.

I really enjoy watching birds during the summer on a lake in northern Wisconsin. It's breeding season, so we see common loons, bald eagles and osprey fishing and flying about. They apparently leave town during the winter, so they show some sense, except for the loon which actually heads north.

Male goldfinches lose their dramatic breeding colors in the winter. I have seen them retaining no more than a light glow of yellow. Their dark wing and light wing bars still make them stand out. The loon has a regal look during the summer as it patrols the northern lakes. Its winter plumage is far more understated and provides some camouflage against the drab winter landscape.

Three of my favorites are year-round residents: downy woodpecker, northern flicker and white-breasted nuthatch. We see the downy and the nuthatch on almost a daily basis, but the flicker has been scarce lately. Three I am on the lookout for are the red-breasted nuthatch, the eastern phoebe and the red-eyed vireo. The nuthatch is with us in non-breeding season, but we have sighted it but twice. The phoebe and the vireo visit during breeding season, so we will have to wait for spring.

The ruby-throated hummingbird is in our neighborhood from April to September and stretches its range all along the Atlantic coast into Canada. The rufous hummingbird has a similar migrating pattern along the Pacific coast with the relative abundance closely mirroring the ruby-throated along lines of latitude. The sandhill crane winters in tightly packed colonies in Texas and Florida and then spends its summers spread from the northern U.S. up through all of Canada to the Arctic circle. The yellow-bellied fly catcher, on the other hand, summers in a much tighter range concentrated in southeastern Canada.

The northern cardinal is a very steady inhabitant; its range does not vary with the seasons. The blackburnian warbler, on the other hand, migrates great distances from the Andes to eastern Canada. The scarlet tanager is also a great traveler, covering long distances from South America to eastern Canada, while the wester tanager keeps to the Pacific side of North America from Mexico in the winter to the American and Canadian west in the summer.

I chose Merlin’s likely birds features for those who live in my area year-round and those who come through only part of the time.  I live in Illinois. Year-round individuals are the Carolina Wren, the Red Bellied Woodpecker, and the Cedar Waxwing (a rarity).  I’ve seen the woodpecker all year at my feeders.  I usually only see the Carolina Wren during the colder months—they always remind me of an avian version of a chipmunk, tail in the air and stripes down the body.  I have only ever seen the Waxwing in the spring and these often like to pull the bark off of our grapevines (something female cardinals also do).  They have a fairly distinctive red bar on the wings and a yellow strip across the end of the tail, as well as its bandit mask.  Very pretty and unusual looking birds. Visitors to my general region are the White Throated Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, and the Brown Thrasher, which is a rare bird.  The two types of sparrows I see during winter months.  The American Tree Sparrow has a distinctive heart-shape on the chest and the beak has a dark upper and a light-colored lower portion—really these were my two main criteria for identifying this species.  They live in northern Canada during spring, summer, and fall.  The White Throated Sparrow has yellow in front of its eyes and white at its throat.  During warmer seasons it lives in Canada and in winter it lives in the lower 48 of the US. The Brown Thrasher photo I have, taken during the spring a few years ago, is a dead ringer with the photos posted in Merlin.  The bird is larger than a Robin, has striking yellow eyes, a long tail and long beak, and a rich brown (rufous) color on its back, tail, and wings.  There are distinctive black and white bars across the wings and streaking across its light-colored chest.  The bird was sitting on top of the suet feeder in my yard—too large to fit through the grating.  Brown Thrashers live in the southeastern US year-round and live in the Great Plains and upper Midwest and northeastern US during breeding season.

I looked up the Bald Eagle, which I had seen close up in October (a pair of them) while kayaking. I was surprised to see they migrate, and they're less present here in the height of summer. Dark-Eyed Junco. They are most abundant here in winter, which is what the map indicates, although since I'm near the Adirondacks, we actually have them year-round. I didn't realize this about them. I do see them much more as it gets colder. I also researched the Baltimore Oriole, since I had seen one here in late spring. They aren't very common, it would seem, so I feel lucky that I spotted it a few times. I also looked up the Scarlet Tanager. I had once accidentally seen this bird at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens much to the dismay of a group of birdwatchers who were looking for it!  That was in May. I would love to see one again.  It looks like they might travel through upstate New York in late spring and might even be spotted throughout the summer.

Activity 3 - I'm so glad that the American Goldfinch was an example to view here. I've been seeing a bird at my feeder recently that I couldn't identify.  Turns out that it's a goldfinch.  Their feathers are so much more muted in the Fall/Winter.  The brilliant yellow becomes more gray/tan. The loon followed a similar trend where the color on its head is less bold. Activity 4 - At my local waterfowl preserve, Canada Geese are a year-round attraction.  In December, I could also expect to see Mallards, Wood Ducks, and possibly see a loon or even green-winged teal.  Other birds that will be in the trees surrounding the area are American crows, mourning doves, and song sparrows. In June, the geese, mallards, and wood ducks will still be around.  It is a hot spot for chimney swallows and spotted sandpipers, barn swallows, and great blue herons.

Activity #2- Three year-round residents here (northwestern NJ) are the Great Blue Heron, the Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Cooper's Hawk. I am regularly graced with a Great Blue sighting when I'm out exploring the area. The meeting is usually brief but always breathtaking. The Red-bellied Woodpecker I've been seeing a lot more lately, in the colder months, and I can recognize their call now so sometimes that helps me spot one + less foliage on the trees so it's easier to glimpse that bright red hood! I don't know if I've seen a Cooper's Hawk.. I've been seeing lots of raptors lately but find it so challenging to ID them.   Three part-time birds are the Yellow-rumped Warbler, the Dark-eyed Junco, and the Wood Duck. I did see a Yellow-rumped Warbler, back in Oct so I'm guessing he was just passing through during his migration. The Dark-eyed Juncos I've been seeing a lot of only lately, Nov/Dec. The Wood Ducks I've been seeing here and there since Oct or so. Lately I don't find them as often so I wonder if they've relocated. Merlin tells me that they are year-round residents actually but I've only been seeing them around lately. They are beautiful and their calls make me think of loon calls (one of my favorite birds and sounds!)

Wow!  Had no idea how different the Loon's plumage appeared from summer to winter.  And, is the more dull plumage in the winter for the American Goldfinch due to need for camouflage when there is less foliage or just to save energy during the non-breeding season?

This is for #2 - Anna's Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, and Great Blue Heron are year round residents that I have seen in my area.  In fact, I have seen pretty much all of the year round residents in my area - except the Brown Creeper, Red Crossbill, Peregrine Falcon and a few more.  I have seen less of the species that only live here part of the year - but I have been lucky to spot the Black Turnstone, Brandt, and Barrow's Goldeneye.  Love the diversity 0f birds in the Seattle area!

Wow, the cardinal does not migrate any distance - perhaps elevationally? It also sticks to the South and Eastern US.   That it not apparent from the maps.  The warbler crosses the Gulf of Mexico and makes its way North all the way to Hudson Bay, and probably needs a lot more resources (primarily fuel) than the cardinal, since it does not move around as much. I found it very interesting that the Tanagers both avoid the very middle of the country right down the midwestern states - perhaps they do not find food or refuge here.  The Western Tanger sticks to just that  - the western part of the US and Central America.  But the Scarlet Tanager seems to occupy the longitudes that are farther east, reaching into South America and parts of Central America. The Rufous Hummingbird seems to start at higher latitudes in Central America/Mexico and sticks to the Western coastal areas in North America for the most part as it moves north in the spring/summer, but turn fall, it migrates back down to Central America over the mountains and surounding areas  - the Rockies/Sierrra Nevadas.  Ruby Throated stays more Easterly as it migrates north in the warmer months and never makes it past the midwestern US.  Maybe they have evolutionarily adapted to the Eastern patchwork of vegetation, cities, and  agricultural areas?