The Cornell Lab Bird Academy › Discussion Groups › Joy of Birdwatching › Activities: Exploring Birds
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Bird AcademyBird AcademyShare your experience participating in this lesson's activities. Comment on as many or as few activities as you'd like.You must be enrolled in the course to reply to this topic.
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Activity 3: I work at a state park in Missouri and we set up a feeder watch window this winter for our visitors. I have really enjoyed watching the Goldfinches change from a bright yellow to a darker almost olive or grey. I would have assumed they were different birds had I not previously taken the color course in the bird academy and read about their seasonal color changes in a book I had been reading. I think this color change is so fun to observe. I also have been working hard to learn to differentiate between the hairy woodpeckers and downy woodpeckers since we get both frequently.
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Activity 2: The first bird that came to mind for me is the grey catbird. My only encounter with this bird was while hiking on the Appalachian Trail and hearing its song. I thought it was so unique and rhythmic that I had to stop and record it. I found it fascinating and I loved that it’s name was catbird. I was excited to later learn it’s call sounds like a mewing cat. I believe this bird to be a songbird, based on its singing but also its small size, long tail, and general look that seems consistent with other songbirds. The next bird that came to mind for me is a Common Loon. These birds particularly make me excited as I live in the Northwoods where they can often be found in inland lakes. This summer I spent a lot of time backpacking through Maine and it was such a treat to hear their haunting call as I lay half awake in my tent. One friend I met from England thought it was a coyote. I also loved watching their activities on the water. I once watched one aggressively flap its wings and fly just over the water as if it were skimming over it. It was also fun to watch them dive beneath the water and scan for where they’ll pop back up next. The Common Loon clearly belongs to the waterfowl group. My final bird is the Mourning Dove. A bird that is a lot more common for me to experience in my daily life in town. I particularly love its somber song, and when I first paid attention to it, it gave me a sense of nostalgia for my childhood. Based on the name I think this bird clearly belongs to the Pigeon and Dove family.
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Activity 3: Greetings from Mexico City! I live in a neighborhood with many birds, especially doves and songbirds. However, one in particular always wakes me up with its unique call—it actually reminds me of an alarm clock! At first, I couldn't spot it easily because it's tiny and never perches on nearby fences. But one morning, I finally discovered its secret spot: my very own window! :-) That’s why I always heard its voice so close to me. My feathered neighbor follows this routine every single morning, and it's partly the reason why I’m taking this course. It’s a Hutton's vireo (Vireo huttoni), a type of songbird, and here you can see a picture of it:
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We're in Toronto, Canada (Aka the 51st state??!?! NO!) and have a backyard birdfeeder. We mostly see songbirds (finches, house sparrows, and juncos. Three different groups we've seen are woodpeckers, songbirds, and doves. We saw a red bellied woodpecker and a mourning dove. The feed we're using is shelled sunflower seeds which is much tidier than other kinds we've used and is extremely popular around here. The woodpecker has been our favourite so far because it's so unique, colourful, and big!
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In the winter we have a group of Dark Eyed Juncos living in our azalea bush (it's next to the drier vent and is always warm), and since they're ground feeders we put a feeder on the ground just for them. They're like little puffballs hopping around on the patio furniture, and they make us so happy! My dad always wanted to see puffins, which we do have on the Oregon coast, but they're not easy to spot, and he was never able to. So now I keep my eyes open for puffins everytime I'm at the ocean. I didn't realize when I was younger how birds can be such a connection between people, but since his passing I appreciate that more.
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Our Upper Midwest house sits on a moraine. The hillside is largely native oak savanna sloping down to a cattail marsh and sedge meadow. Among several favorites that came to our feeders last year was the red-headed woodpecker. We were thrilled to see this stunning bird after a nearly-35 year hiatus. We suspect that recent efforts to clear brush choking the savanna opened and improved habitat enough to once again make it inviting for this bird. Although we are within its overwintering range, and we do have friends in the general area that see the bird year-round, it is not present here this winter. Interestingly, a pair of sandhill cranes strolled up the hill from the marsh last year and also regularly visited the feeders, in addition to walking around the yard near house and barns. This is another favorite bird---a joy to hear its wild bugling calls, and to watch it in flight, as it parachutes down to the marsh, and as it prowls among vegetation, often enjoying a froggy snack. The sandhill crane population has greatly increased in our area over the past 25 years, thanks in large measure to habitat restoration, reduced use of certain pesticides, protection from hunting under the MBTA, and ability to adapt to the agricultural landscape (in fact, their recovery is so great that now a hunting season is proposed). We look forward to spring and the return of these special favorites.
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My favorite bird has to be the Black-Capped Chickadee; I love how energetic, agile, and noisy they are as they flit from branch to branch in search of food. It always makes me happy when I see one show up at my bird feeder. A new favorite that I have seen for the first time this winter is White-Crowned Sparrows. They always show up in groups of 5-7, and almost all of them have the brown juvenile markings; I've only seen one out of the bunch that has the adult black and white crown. I love watching them show up and go back and forth between the feeder, the safety of the branches in the nearby evergreen shrubs, and on the ground. It is so fun to watch them venture out and do the "hop scratch" that they do on the ground to find food. And just today, I was looking out at the feeders and saw that one of the sparrows looked different than what I had seen, and looked a lot more streaked compared to the other sparrows. After consulting my bird books and online, I determined it was most likely a Song Sparrow! It was so exciting to see a sparrow that has never visited my yard before.
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I live in Western North Carolina and it's wintertime. I have recently observed a flock of birds - which of course I never paid attention to before - and just discovered they are robins! I didn't know that robins join together in flocks in the winter and are more solitary in the spring/summer. Excited about my new interest in birding!
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I voted on many birds, whether I had seen them not. My favorite bird by a long shot is the Carolina Chickadee because it is social, smart, and beautiful. I also enjoy the obnoxiously colored Painted Bunting because of my memory of seeing it with my dad in the early morning on a vacation.
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My first couple of votes went to 2 flightless birds: The kiwi and the kakapo. Both National treasures to New Zealand. I have a fascination for albatross as well. One of my favourite neighbourhood birds is the New Zealand Wood Pigeon (Kereru). Usually seen in pairs, gorging themselves on berries. I can hear them flying low overhead before I see them.
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I voted for a couple. My favourites are the Great Blue Heron and the Wood Duck. One reason is because I actually see them on my hikes at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington Ontario.
I put this in my app. Merlin, as a lifer. It is a Downy Woodpecker of the Woodpecker family. It is also my favourite bird in my neighbourhood. My mom, before she passed away saw one at our house, which is on a very busy street in the City. So, whenever I see one now in our backyard or front yard, it gives me a very nice memory and makes me really happy. I went hiking today and saw a Screech Owl, which is another lifer. I saw many birds and love having the Merlin app open so I know what else I am hearing. I am also using my Guide Book, "Birds of Ontario: by Andy Bezener to check off all the birds I see and to help me learn about them. I have also joined a local Bird Club. My favourite bird currently is the Veery bird. I watched a Netflix series Connected to learn how Veeries accurately predict hurricane season in advance. They are also cute and are medium-sized thrushes with bright reddish-brown tones above, buffy breast and white belly. I have seen one at Algonquin Park which was very exciting.
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It's so difficult to choose a single favourite bird. They all have their unique attributes and charm. Currently, I'm enjoying several birds that are visiting our yard this winter to take advantage of our feeders and seeds from our native garden plants. We have at least 3 resident Black-capped Chickadees that are busy caching seeds, especially sunflower seeds. There are a few nearby nature trails where the Chickadees are extremely friendly and will visit your hand for snacks. Their cute little faces, with their black cap, white cheeks and tiny beak and friendly nature make them a favourite for me. You can't help but fall in love with these little, round, active birds.
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My first favorite bird in my neighborhood in upstate NY is the Eastern Bluebird. I just think it's so beautiful and every time I'm able to spot one it just makes my day. There seem to be more and more in my neighborhood over the last few years so it's likely that I see one when I take a walk. We also have Red Tailed Hawks in our neighborhood. My husband and I had the good fortune to see one perched on our shed and then dive down and catch a squirrel this summer. It was amazing to watch!
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I voted for the secretary bird because it’s so beautiful. My other vote went to the black necked crane because so many cranes are in danger of extinction. My favorite birds near my home are the bobwhite quail, and the sandhill cranes. I love listening to the quails while trail running, but they can be harder to spot. The sandhill cranes are usually out in full force near the canal where I live, and I love seeing them raise their chicks. Sandhill crane chicks are some of the cutest baby birds.
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2 favorite birds. First, the Purple Martin (a swallow). I live in Canada on the shore of Lake Huron. My neighbor has 2 multi-compartment birdhouses for Purple Martins which come back every year and stay for the summer. I enjoy watching them. They are attractive dark birds and fly wonderfully, swooping above the lake to catch insects. They seem to be quite sociable and chatter together when they return to the birdhouses. My other favourite bird is the Northern Flicker (a woodpecker). The first one I saw was in pine straw under trees when I was visiting Florida. It was about 10 feet away and paid me no attention. I was able to carefully observe and identify it later. It’s a beautiful bird with many-coloured plumage, spots and stripes. About a year later I looked out the window and spotted a Northern Flicker in my back yard. It stayed there for more than an hour poking around in the grass. I was happy that it had a safe place to feed and that I could watch it as and learn.
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I too live in Canada, but in Calgary AB. Your reference to the Northern Flicker reminded me of their presence here, especially in spring. They are infamous for hammering on chimneys to get a loud sound to attract a mate... quite unsettling if it is your metal chimney! I love seeing them about... and pray that they find someone else's chimney more appealing:)
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I live in New Mexico and the Sand Hill Cranes and Snow geese are in our area now - it is such a beautiful sight to go to the Bosque before sunrise to listen to them and watch them take off at sunrise. The noise is incredible and the sight of them all lifting off at the break of day is worth the 9 degree temperature that I have encountered at times.
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Amazing photo. Thanks for sharing.
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Very good It's a great feeling to meet new birds.
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Activity 3: Like other students, it is hard to choose a favorite species of bird as I enjoy them all. However, I am partial to songbirds, parrots, and the many different types of water birds. Where I live, there are what seems like countless different species of songbirds that I am lucky enough to watch. I am very happy to have nature parks around to watch these birds in their native territories and that they even visit my feeders, both of which helps me get to know them so well. I love watching the pigeons and Mourning Doves go about their business around town (they are so fun!), the sparrows and finches are very adorable, the hummingbirds (where I am we have two main species with occasional others that visit) are so full of attitude, and the woodpeckers are just fun characters that sometimes reming me of parrots (especially the Acorn Woodpeckers). I have worked with parrots from as small as Cockatiels all the way up to some of the macaws and cockatoos. They are fascinating to me because they have so much personality and are very colorful! I have enjoyed getting to know them better in my own learning and through the Cornell classes. With the waterbirds, there are several well-known water bird areas that I like to visit. At these places, I get to see cormorants, multiple species of ducks during migration (this year was a bit of a record in that I saw at least 8 different species), coots, Canada Geese, rails, killdeer, curlews/willets, and plovers/sandpipers. I find all of these birds adorable and anything but boring or drab! They all have so much personality and every time I get to visit them in their home, I am grateful that I get to learn something new about their lives.
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Today I saw a dark eyed junco x3 , new to this so I was pretty slow with the picture!
also: tufted titmouse and a woodpecker ( hairy or downy, not sure) At the local park yesterday evening I lucked out and a red tailed hawk alighted close by on a branch, my favorite local bird!
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I live in CO and recently built a large water feature in our backyard. There is one section of the feature that includes a large flat stone that the water slowly runs down to its edge and creates a waterfall. Last August through mid September we had several broadtail humming birds discover this section of the water feature. It was slow flowing and shallow enough for them to bathe and get a drink. What was fascinating were the air battles between the birds for a seat on the rock. It was pretty wide so it could easily fit 6-8 humming birds, but they couldn’t tolerate having any other birds near them, especially the males. The females seemed to rule the day and had their own time bathing, but the males would fight it out. I took a few pictures and slow motion videos that would have 3-6 birds in frame either bathing or fighting each other for a spot. This is how I got hooked. Thanks for Reading
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Songbirds seem to have the birds I’m enjoying the most. Particularly the Carolina Wren with all his/her songs. It is ever surprising how loud they can sing given their small size. Enjoying learning to classify birds in groups. Makes the adventure of birding a little less daunting.
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I live in a condo but I’ve managed to make my balcony a little bird haven. I’ve tried painting the birds, too.
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I love your garden! (=
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The sandhill crane family I mentioned earlier.
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