The Cornell Lab Bird Academy Discussion Groups Joy of Birdwatching Activities: Exploring Bird Habitats

    • Tess
      Participant
      Chirps: 7
      Activity 2: For this prompt, I explored the species found at two different eBird hotspots in Arizona: Roger Road and Mt. Lemmon. Based on the waterfowl and birds found at Roger Road, I would say that this habitat is aquatic - perhaps a marsh or lake. Based on the raptors and songbirds found at Mt. Lemmon I would guess that the habitat is more forested.
    • Carol
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      I live in a rural and heavily wooded area in northern New Hampshire, In the warmer months, we see a lot of woodpeckers, hummingbirds, wrens, cardinals, crows, ravens, etc. Right now, in January, it is hard to find birds. I have heard blue jays, though. A second area would be by Moore Dam near me - I would expect to see ducks and herons.  
    • Kurt
      Participant
      Chirps: 29
      In my yard, which is a suburban area west of Phoenix (Sonoran Desert). In my yard I have witnessed a variety of common birds including hummingbirds, who feed from my agave flower in the spring and summer, gambles quail, who nest in my rosemary bush, and all manner of pigeons or doves, primarily rock pigeons and mourning doves. Going into the city of Phoenix, the variety is less noticeable, though on occasion some pigeons and cardinals have been located, along with the more uncommon roadrunner sighting. It's estimated that 1 acre of land in the Sonoran desert is lost every hour due to construction within Phoenix's city sprawl. The Phoenix metro area is growing rapidly, and as a result the wildlife is being affected too.
    • Carol
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      I live in south texas near Houston. There are many hotspots with rivers, lakes and piney woods. Then with a short drive you can be at the Gulf of Mexico and watch all the shorebirds.
    • Tim
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      #1. Participated in an annual bird count at an animal sanctuary in Maryland.  Around and on the pond were dozens of Canada geese and mallards, with some wigeons, shovelers, and blue-winged teals.  We spotted a few bald eagles and vultures over the open fields.  The woods featured woodpeckers (downy, red-bellied, and red-headed) and nuthatches on the trees, sparrows and wrens in the understory, and even some ruby-crowned kinglets flitting around, among other species.
    • Joan
      Participant
      Chirps: 13
      Puger Sound bird watching in fall and witer bring 2 species of Cormorants, Horned and Pied Bill Grebes, Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, Harlequins, Buffleheads, Surf Scoters, Hooded Mergansers. Salish Sea sughtings, OysterCatchers, Pelicans, Puffins, and many species of gulls
    • Joan
      Participant
      Chirps: 13
      Nature Preserves along Lake Washington (Juanita Bay Kirkland WA) and (Union Bay Nature Preserve  Seattle, WA) American Coots, Wood Ducks, Mandarin Duck, Gadwalls, Grebes, American Wigeons, Northern Shovelers, Double Rested Cormorants, Wilsons Snipes (in reeds), Killdeer (mudflats)   , great Blue Herons, Green Herons, American Eagles, Red-winged Blackbirds (reeds/ cattails), Owls (wooded areas), Green Winged Teal, Scoups, and sandpipers. 
    • Marcel
      Participant
      Chirps: 9
      Activity 1 When I went to The river I seen many Double-crested Cormorants and quite a few Ring-bill Gulls also some Common Merganser. At the forest spot there were mostly Black cap Chickadee also seen White-crown sparrow and a few American Goldfinch
    • Dan
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      Activity 1  At a conservation area on the north shore of Lake Ontario.  Found in the wooded area are numerous chickideas, that will feed from your hand.  Also blue jays, numerous sparrows, and wild turkeys.  Other species are present dependent on the time of year. A second area is a marsh with open water.  Here ducks, primarily mallards, swans and geese are usually present.
    • Rachel
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      I’ve had so much fun 🤩
    • Shelby
      Participant
      Chirps: 7
      Activity 1: In the heart of the city around our building we’ve seen Killdeer… which is strange spotting a bird that has the movements/body of a shorebird hours away from the ocean. We’ve noticed that it loves the gravel areas around our apartment building as well as the reservoir outside of the building that fills with water during heavy rains. At a nearby nature preserve we would never see these, but we’ve spotted Mallards, Wood Ducks, Herons and Kingfisher.
      • WLMII
        Participant
        Chirps: 17
        I've noticed the same thing.  They seem to spend more time in gravel and rocks than on shores.  Here is a Killdeer I found over her eggs, on rocks with rocks going on infinitely in the background.  Its fascinating how all of these other birds spend so much time making nice soft, hidden nests and then a mommy-to-be Killdeer sees a gravel parking lot and thinks "Perfect." thumbnail_0N9A5313
    • Saanvi
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      I had fun
    • Angeleque
      Participant
      Chirps: 6
      Activity One: We live in the Adirondack Mountains. The main habitats are woods and water. The woods are primarily songbirds (and turkeys!--just saw some tiny babies a few days ago) and water for us means lakes and ponds. There you see lots of water fowl like loons, mallards, swans, geese etc.. Activity  Two: We agree with all that has been written. Big takeaway for us was the number of completed checklists in Arizona compared to England, esp central London. Arizona wins!
    • Janet
      Participant
      Chirps: 12
      2. A comparison of the bird species at the two sites in Arizona suggests that Roger Road has more water (coots, herons, mallards, ducks) than Mt. Lemmon, which presumably  has higher altitudes for hawks, owls and falcons. Both clearly have varied habitats and therefore large numbers of varied species (Roger Road: 257 listed!; Mt. Lemmon: 128), though Roger Road wins out easily in numbers. Both list flycatchers,swallows, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, warblers, buntings, sparrows, orioles so either there is some overlap ecologically or these species adapt to different environments.
      • Marisel
        Participant
        Chirps: 5
        Totally agree with you! I noticed the same. And I personally feel happy because I was able to imagine those two places by just looking at the birds lists, before doing a research about each of the places.
    • Andrea
      Participant
      Chirps: 12
      Activity 2:  Down House: Birds present in towns and buildings such as different kind of pigeons. There are birds that live in open habitats with some woods as farmland such as hawks, kestrels, and woodpeckers. Also there are birds that are present in aquatic habitats as different kinds of gulls. Sevenoaks: Most of the birds are present in aquatic habitats like swamps, marshes, ponds and lakes.
      • Kate
        Participant
        Chirps: 4
        The first thing I noticed, too, was that at Sevenoaks there were more aquatic birds. I'm glad other people noticed what I noticed!
    • Andrea
      Participant
      Chirps: 12
      Activity 1: Dora Kelley Nature Park in Alexandria, VA: I can identify at least two habitats where different kind of birds live, a deciduous forest where I identify at least three local species sharing the habitat: Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, and White-breasted Nuthatch. Another species that breeds in this area in the summer share this habitat: Acadian Flycatcher. All of them eat insects, but the Acadian Flycatcher catches them in flight. The three local birds eat seed in addition to insects and share the trunks of trees when foraging. In the same park there is another habitat, a river where I usually see at least two species: Mallards, that are  omnivore and dabble to feed,  and Great Blue Herons, that eat fish and wade slowly or stand still, peering into the water for prey.
    • I am fortunate to live in a neighborhood that has multiple habitats on my daily walk. As I walk down the street past the homes I can count on Northern Mockingbirds, Mourning Doves, Common Grackles and occasionally Northern Cardinals. When I get to the wooded path there is a pond that has Common Gallinule, Anhinga, Mottled Ducks and often Sandhill Cranes (especially for nesting). A little later I walk past a small lake that will haven Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, more Mottled Ducks and occasionally Limpkin. Finally, we have a sandy scrub habitat that has a family of Florida Scrub-Jays, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Blue Jays. Some days on my walk I'll only see about a dozen species and other days there will be nearly 30.
    • Tracy
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      I live near a reservoir which has Herons, Cormorants, and several types of water foul. There’s also an abundance of Red Winged Blackbirds all along the edges and within the cattails. Further out from the reservoir edges are lots of swallows and flycatchers (not sure what kinds). And several different types of hawks, some falcons, and bald eagles.
    • Janet
      Participant
      Chirps: 12
      1. Last August, I went to the beach at Ocean City, NJ, where the habitat was ocean and sand beach.  No surprise: I saw an American Oystercatcher, a Common  Tern, a Least Tern, and lots of Sanderlings. I think all those birds are shore birds and find their food in the ocean or in the sand. Today I went to a neighborhood park with a stream, a small woods, some tall pines and some wetland. I heard a Red-winged Blackbird,  a couple Northern Cardinals, a Chipping Sparrow, a Downy Woodpecker, a Cedar Waxwing, at least one Song Sparrow, a White-eyed Vireo, a number of House Sparrows, a House Wren, a Northern Flicker and lots of American Robins. Because of the varied habitats in this small park, one finds a variety of birds (and in migration season, different kinds of warblers) and it is a favorite with local ornithologists. Some of these birds are common in backyards too, especially the robins, sparrows and cardinals, so they seem more adaptable to various foods or ways to eat.
    • Alicia
      Participant
      Chirps: 24
      Activity #1: There is a very large cemetery near my home. In this cemetery are numerous old coniferous and deciduous trees, as well as open lawns. Around these trees and open areas, it is easy to spot American Robins, Cardinals, Blue Jays, European Starlings, and House Sparrows. But on the other side of the cemetery, there is a large man-made lake. Here it is easy to spot Mallard Ducks and Canada Geese. The same is true for the City of Chicago as a whole. Near the lakefront (Lake Michigan), many shorebirds, like Herring Gulls can be found. But head west of the city, and you will see different species.
    • Delbert
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      Found the beautiful gray throated chat in a yucatan forest several miles from my home. Just outside the forest on a taller lone tree the laughing falcon was singing.
    • Sarah
      Participant
      Chirps: 18
      We went birding with our Master Naturalist class. At a lake, there were tree swallows and northern rough-winged swallows (and many other types of waterfowl- such as wood ducks, blue-winged teal, mallards, ring-necked ducks, Great blue herons,  and Canada geese). At a pond where I walk frequently, I never see swallows. I only occasionally see Canada geese. At the lake, the birds are visible, but at the pond, the birds mostly stay in the forest.
    • Cheryl
      Participant
      Chirps: 21
      Activity 2: Roger Road and Mt. Lemmon Roger Road has a mixed environment with water to support waterfowl, shorebirds and gulls. It also has open fields and scrubby areas for doves, pigeons, quail and roadrunners. Mt. Lemmon also is a mixed environment. It has more trees than Roger Road, as it supports many species of songbirds and birds of prey, but it also has open areas like Roger Road that support doves, pigeons, quail and turkey too.
    • Cheryl
      Participant
      Chirps: 21
      Activity 1:  My backyard is a small city plot with old oak trees that I underplanted with cedars, Japanese Maples, Rhododendron, shrubs, and perennials. There are a lot of places for birds to hide and forage. We get a lot of different songbirds, woodpeckers and the occasional visit from a Cooper’s Hawk. In the winter we generally have 15 different species. As the migration begins the number species increases to include passing warblers, other sparrows, wrens and thrushes as they all poke through the bushes, trees and leaf litter for food. About 1 kilometre south is a Great Lake and about another kilometre west is a man-made landmass, originally formed as a breakwater in 1959. Now 60 some years have past and it has become a 500 hectare park and a recognized bird sanctuary, with breeding Cormorants and other migrating birds. I’ve not seen every bird on the park’s list. It’s a long one. A survey from 2014 recorded 316 species of birds which includes many waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, owls, hawks, many, many songbirds and other birds. This place is a treasure trove for me. I see something new every time I visit. The photos are of a Northern Flicker in my backyard and a Red-tailed Hawk at the park. It watched it catch a rat for his dinner in front of us. Northern (yellow -shafted) Flicker Female_7357Red-tailed Hawk_8183
    • Jessica
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      Herons and buntings