Activity 1: The first bird to grab my attention on that wonderful Wall of Birds was the Great Gray Owl swooping down at the top of the map. My fascination with owls started at a young age when I spotted a majestic Snowy Owl perched on a large rock by the ocean in New Hampshire. Activity 2:  For this activity, I have chosen 3 birds that I have identified while hiking the trails in the lakes region of New Hampshire. The Bald Eagle of the raptor group, the Barred Owl of the owl group, and the Pileated Woodpecker of the woodpecker group. It is exhilarating to locate and identity these wonderful birds in their natural habitat. Activity 3: The neighborhood bird that I enjoy watching the most is the Red-shouldered Hawk that perches in my front yard overlooking the pond. It has rusty red shoulder feathers to contrast with its black and white striped tail feathers. I was fortunate enough to observe the hawk swoop from its perch to grab a black snake from the pond. It landed on the lawn and enjoyed its catch. Fascinating!

When people ask me what my favorite bird is, I answer, with sincerity, that it's the bird I'm looking at! I love 'em all. 1. But on the Wall of Birds, I voted for Eurasian Hoopoe, which has had a wonderful hold of me ever since I saw one in France 45 years ago. I didn't put that one in eBird then (since eBird didn't exist!) but since then I've been fortunate to see EUHO in Zambia and Zimbabwe. 2. Lately, I've been in search of Red Crossbills (songbirds/passerines), since several types of RECRs from the west are moving into Maine. I've been recording calls and sending to the Finch Network for typing, and entering the type into eBird. 3. Lately, my favorite species around my house has been Bohemian Waxwing. A beautiful bird that irupts from the north.

Activity One:  Loons was the first I clicked on and voted for.  Gosh, I love to hear their call.  The first time I heard a loon call was at a friends cabin up in Maine.  I was transfixed. Activity Two: I live in a small village in Western Massachusetts on the Westfield River.  A beautiful spot with three mill ponds on the river.  So the first bird to mention in this activity is a Hooded Merganser duck of the water foul group.  They can be found on the Westfield Paper Mill Pond at the end of Main St.  I often see them when I'm out walking in the 'hood or kayaking on the river. The second would be the little House Wren of the song bird group.  They often nest in my garage.  They always make me jump out of my skin when I forget they're there as I walk into the garage and cause them to bolt out the door I just opened! The third would be Bald Eagles from the raptor group.  They like to fish on the mill ponds.  Friends of mine in town tell me there's a nest along the river in our area, but I haven't seen it yet.  Nuts. Activity Three: I don't really have a favorite.  Some I like less than others, but I'm not going there!  For this activity I'd like to pick the little Easter Phoebee, which would, I think, be considered part of the song bird group according to our lessons so far.  This little fellow has been a part of my life forever.  It was one of the first birds I could identify from a very young age, along with the Black Capped Chickadee, American Crow and Red Tail Hawk. But I've always loved to hear the call of the little Phoebee. To see it flitting from branch to branch in the hedges long the fields.

Activity 1: The Blue and Yellow Macaw was the first to catch my eye in the Wall, perhaps because that is my first memory of an interaction with a bird. We lived in a tiny village in Bolivia when I was little and had a macaw that lived just outside our house. I remember feeding it macadamia nuts and that it used to ride on the back of my dad's motorcycle! The reason I remember it so vividly though was more tragic, at least from my 3 year old perspective. I had put some stuffed dolls of mine on the window sill and came back to find them disemboweled by the macaw. Activity 2: I was very surprised to discover that crows are part of the song birds group! I sat in my backyard for a bit this morning and most of the birds fell into the song birds group, including 2 fish crows and 3 blue jays. The woodpeckers group were represented by a downy woodpecker and a red-breasted woodpecker and the pigeons and doves group were *well* represented by 8 mourning doves. Activity 3: My favorite bird to hear as I'm walking around my neighborhood is the carolina wren. I love it's clear sound and tone. My favorite to see at the feeder (although I do not have a good enough camera to have a good photo to upload) is the Titmouse. They are so cute with their little spikey mohawks.

I live in southern British Columbia (adjacent to Washington State).  Many years ago I was totally blown away by my first sighting of 6 American White Pelicans! About 30 years later, having joined the naturalist club, at Skaha Lake, closer to my home, we met for the day's hike and were stopped dead in our tracks by the sight of 74 white American Pelicans in the water. They entertained us, floating back and forth along the beach front at OK Falls for a half hour before they marshalled themselves and gracefully lifted off and flew south. There are two tiny lakes in the interior, the area called the Caribou, that they nest and breed in. Previous to this I was only  aware of the grey pelicans of California and Mexico.  what a treat!

Activity 2 - Went outside and didn't see or hear as much as usual. Turns out there was a raptor flying high above, looked like a Bald Eagle. I heard a humming bird click and buzz past me, but it is hard to say what type it was since I didn't get a good look at it. I think it was most likely an Anna's Humming bird since they are the most common around here. Later Merlin identified a Song Sparrow and a Robin, both of which are song birds. Within the song birds, the song sparrow belongs to the sparrows (in fact it was one of the examples given). The Robin fits into the other group I believe.

I am a novice bird watcher. While visiting in Alaska in January at Bettles Lodge (above the Arctic Circle) watched what I think is a grey jay land on the head of our dog musher. It surprised us both.

The Magnificent Frigatebird caught my eye on the bird wall with its bright red throat! My favorite bird to see in my neighborhood is a Cardinal!

Activity 1 - I voted for the American Oystercatcher -  I haven't seen one yet and would love to see one when visiting the east coast beaches. Activity 2 - I saw a variety of birds this morning in my back yard including the White Breasted Nuthatch, Common Grackle, and Downy Woodpecker. Activity 3 - The Blue Jay is a favorite backyard bird.   They hang out year round and are enjoyable to watch and listen to.  I don't have a picture but they have a crest with a wonderful blue, white, and black coloring.

• Blue heron is one of my favs, they are so huge! Every year one or two hunt up and down the creek here in SE Kansas. We are lucky to see waterfowl, songbirds, owls, chicken-like birds, woodpeckers and raptors on a daily basis. Crows, Canadian geese, red-bellied woodpeckers, Harris' sparrows, nuthatches, juncos, Bluejays, spotted towhees and wild turkeys come into my feeder's view.

Activity 3: There's a beautiful woodpecker that loves my bird feeder.  I thought there were about 5 types of birds that visited me, but I've learned there are more than a dozen just in my backyard.  Can't wait to learn about more!

Activity 3 - Chickadees! I've always sort of taken them for granted I think, as they are quite common where I live. Until very recently I only knew of the Black-capped ones, but recently found Chestnut-backed Chickadees visiting the birdfeeder. Watching them I've really grown to love them. They are quite friendly and often sit close by and watch while I fill the bird feeders. When I was a kid we used to call them "cheeseburger birds" because of their distinct call (which is "hey sweetie" in this course - which is also adorable!)

activity one, I voted for the Phorusrhacos longissimus, an extinct species.  I think the study of fossils is neat, and I often wonder what the various habitats really looked like. activity two, I remembered an evening hike I took in summer with the mosquitos and the Merlin Bird ID app- it was in a riverbank/marsh ecosystem.  I was able to identify (but not see) a Hermit Thrush (thrush), an Oven Bird (warbler), a Barred Owl (owl), and a Downy Woodpecker (woodpecker).  As far as identifying flying creatures by sight... only the mosquitos.  I identified some with a slap. activity three, Some of my favourite feeder-sightings are woodpeckers.  I have seen downy woodpeckers the most ( they had a nest on the yard), Hairy woodpeckers, and even pileated woodpeckers.  Crows are another favourite.  They overturn clumps of dried grass from mowing the lawn to look for food.

The Wall of Birds is going to be a stop on a visit to New York. The plethora of birds and information is fabulous to see in one visual. The Merlin app is a no-brainer.  It is an incomparable resource in the field. When I walk in our woods with my grandchildren the Merlin quickly identifies any sound emanating from a bird. Teaching my grandchildren to listen and then verify a birdcall with the Merlin is exciting and rewarding. During the winter it is always a delight to see one of the birds we have heard on our walk at my various feeders on the farm.   Downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, tufted titmices, and chickadees are just a few of my favorites that visit the feeders. Beloved Bluebirds nibble their mealworms on the windowsills. Of course, the goldfinch (winter plumage is a bit drab) and the junco are also enjoyed. The rose-breasted grosbeaks and pileated woodpeckers don't venture to the feeders until spring. They like the woods better. Crows alert us to the Redtail and red-shoulders hawks circling the farm.

Stork from Africa trip.  Great place for bird watching.

When navigating the "Wall of Birds" I came across a bird called the Vulturine Guineafowl. This species of fowl had the most interesting bright crimson eyes and dark plumage, with streaks of white and purple patch's providing stark contrast. I first read about this bird while enjoying a compilation of paintings and anecdotes from a painter based out of Africa. The way that the bio for this bird was written, gave me a vivid picture of the habitat it calls home. Such a cool looking bird unique to the country it stems from, it's so easy to forget about the unique scope of animals that live beyond where one immediately calls home! The Secretary bird was another that I took note of, this bird has such a regal appearance to it. After further reading and some YouTube searches, seeing this bird stalk through tall African grasslands made me feel for the critters it was hunting under foot! A unique way to dispatch prey, the essentially deliver a karate providing a quick and sudden dispatch of their prey items.

Activity 1 - Wall of Birds - favorite bird is the elusive Wood Duck.  Elusive for me because I have never seen one.  They are colorful with red eyes.  There call is distinct and sounds like it is questioning (to me). Activity 2 - my three from the backyard feeder are House Sparrow, red bellied woodpecker and yellow goldfinch.  I used the Pterson Guide.  It is an old copy. Sparrow - Great flier (Peterson had listed as a finch Yellow Finch - Finches and Bunting. Peterson had it listed as a yellow finch Red Belllied Woodpecker - Woodpecker

I explored the Wall of Birds and thought it was very interesting to learn a bit about 'exotic' birds (i.e., those from parts of the world very different from where I live). But I think I would use it more like a 'discovery' tool, randomly clicking on a geographic location, than as a go-to informational resource for specific species. The actual wall looked very intriguing and I might make a trip to Cornell (I live in NY) to check it out in person! Regarding the Field Guides segment, one thing missing was the very condensed and local plastic, folded pocket type. I got one some years ago to identify the birds that come to my feeder and it's incredible how I have been able to identify so many birds around my home from this little guide! I recently added Merlin to my tools and I love it, especially the bird song ID feature!

1: My favorite Bird from the Wall is the Toucan. I once visited Colombia where we heard a Toucan but unfortunately we were not able to spot him. 2: Yesterday i saw two magpies which are in the Family of the Ravens - i am still not sure whats the difference between a Family and a group and why in the Academy we talk about groups an in my bird Book they are categorized by families. I think the group would be songbirds. I also saw a Sparrowhawk which is a Raptor. 3: I like how a small dunnock comes to my Garden and if you don’t look carefully you would think it is one of the 30 House Sparrows but then you notice it is a little smaller and acts different from the sparrows.

Three birds I saw in the field, in the past week, from 3 distinct groups are a Great Blue Heron (Wading Birds), American Black Duck (Waterfowl), and Purple Sandpipers (Shorebirds). It's hard to choose a favorite bird, but I would say that my favorite family is Anatidae (ducks)! I got this picture of what I believe is an American Black Duck this week. 

Activity 1 & 2:  I find loons, hummingbirds and frigates pretty fascinating. Activity 3:  It is winter here in Minnesota so there are not a lot of birds around.  I do enjoy seeing and hearing (mostly) the Black-capped Chickadee.  They are often active around my neighborhood.  I also see and hear… Blue Jays, Crows, and White-breasted Nuthatches and an occasional Pileated Woodpecker.

Activity 3: In our Northern California neighborhood, we rarely see owls, but at night we hear wonderful calls from male and female screech owls. During the day, acorn woodpeckers fight red-shouldered hawks for possession of our huge oak trees.

Activity 1: My favorite bird from the Wall is the Snow Bunting because of its pattern and Albatross because of the long wingspan and long flight distance. Activity 2: (Songbirds - Creeper and Nuthatches) - White Breasted Nuthatch, (Chicken-like Birds - Wild Turkey), (Raptors - Red Tailed Hawk). Activity 3: My favorite bird from the Wall is the Northern Cardinal which is also the state bird of Ohio. I love the color and they look majestic in the white snow. I will never get bored watching them.

Activity 1: My favorite bird pictured on the Wall of Birds is the Great Blue Heron of the eastern USA. I live near the Florida Everglades, and grew up fascinated with them. They're so big and beautiful, and will always be my favorite bird. Activity 2: Songbirds (house sparrows), chicken-like birds (my neighbor keeps pet chickens), wading birds (egrets and ibises are common in my area) Activity 3: It's a draw between chickens and grackles. My neighbor keeps free range chickens that spend a lot of time in my yard, and they're fun to watch. One has even laid two clutches of eggs and hatched chicks in my garden, and they're just so cute. As for wild birds, I love grackles. The way they move looks so mischievous to me, and I like the blue sheen on their feathers.