Joy of Birdwatching

Activity 1:  I picked the wood duck. On my first birding tour in California, this was one of the many birds I saw. It was beautiful. What is even more interesting about the wood duck is what our tour guide shared about the ducklings. They live high inside a tree and then, when ready, fall to the forest floor.  You can find many videos online of this happening. Very amazing. Activity 3:  I pick the northern cardinal. I see him all the time in my backyard (southern Ontario)  and his call is so distinct that I always look for him. The female is difficult to spot (of course) but she sometimes makes an appearance or I can hear her as well.

Activity 3: I have chosen an Indigo Bunting. We have recently moved to the US from the UK, and I am still thrilled to see such brightly coloured birds in our neighbourhood (such bright colours are much less common in the British Isles). I have only seen the Indigo Bunting twice in a neighbour's magnolia tree, so never managed to nab a photo, but they are such a beautiful, brilliant blue. We are working to fill our garden with native plants and flowers, so hope to attract lots more birds in the coming months.

• Activity 1.  I chose the Scissor tail fly catcher.  The males coloring is beautiful.  I am sometimes treated to their striking flight while on walks in my neighborhood.
• Activity 2.  I’m not altogether sure what is being asked of me for this activity.
• Activity 3. I like this picture of a green heron that I took.  It was a lifer for me and I was in awe as soon as I saw it.

In Activity 1, I chose the Bohemian Waxwing from the Wall of Birds.  It is such a beautiful bird: "elegant", colourful, easy to distinguish by its characteristic call.  I am used to see Cedar Waxwings where I live, in Eastern Ontario, so I was interested in comparing to the Western species.  I like how they move in groups, and the loud noise they produce when there is a large flock in a tree. Regarding Activity 2, I can say I finally got a better idea of how to distinguish warblers from finches... I know it should not be too difficult, but for some reason, unless it was clearly a goldfinch, I was always in doubt between the two. For Activity 3 I choose the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.  Living in Ottawa, Ontario, this is the only hummingbird I will be able to see during warm weather season, at least in my backyard.  For the first time this Spring I decided to hang two hummingbirds feeders from an old lilac, but did not have much hope if seeing it coming to feed from them.  To my big surprise, one little Ruby-throated hummer was visiting just 10 minutes after putting it up!  And has been returning continuously since.  I am not sure if it is the same or not.  At some point I saw two of them. I am always amazed at their flight, their speed, and how little they care if humans are close by.  My goal is to be able to distinguish individuals in the future, and even take good photographs.

Just moved to a new home and put out a couple feeders to be able to study birds in this area better.

I am trying to ascertain the species of this bird.  I believe it is a common grackle, yet these are the best photographs I have of it.  They were taken on two different days so I'm not sure if they are the same bird.

Activity 1:  First lesson activity gave me an opportunity to identify the Dark-eyed Junco who is lately singing in my yard.  I was able to confirm it was a Junco by the pink peak and listening to its song and comparing the song to the Cornell app.  I also learned the bird's bill color was a way to distinguish this bird from a Black Phoebe, also seen in my neighborhood.  The Junco had first attracted us because its song was very different than the Song Sparrows.  Interesting how many Song Birds.

Activity 3: I keep seeing hummingbirds in my neighborhood and especially close to my balcony because I feed them. I have been able to identify two species of hummingbirds, Berylline and broad-billed. Hummingbirds are one of my favorite birds because of their colors, size, and agility.

Activity 3: I keep seeing hummingbirds in my neighborhood and especially close to my balcony because I feed them. I have been able to identify two species of hummingbirds, Berylline and broad-billed. Hummingbirds are one of my favorite birds because of their colors, size, and agility.

Activity 3: There are many Pileated Woodpeckers in my neighborhood. I frequently see them in pairs, and hopefully, I can improve upon identifying the male vs. female. They are a favorite because I enjoy watching their activities, and the red crest is easy to spot.

Activity 3: The Baltimore Orioles came back this spring with a bit better f help from the grape jelly and orange halves we put out for them.

Activity 3: Rose Breasted Grosbeak. This is the first year I have seen these beautiful birds in my yard. I love their bright & distinct colors. Behaviour seemed so relaxed and calm.

Baby bird season in Alaska.  Downy with his daughter.  Also black cap chickadee, boreal chickadee and canada gray jay babies at the feeders.

I love our migration season when the flocks of swans and Canada geese arrive.  In the early morning I would hear a slapping noise when a group of swans would take off that sounded like their wings slapping on the water.  When I was able to get a better look and capture them on film, I realized that it was not their wings hitting the water, but their powerful feet propelling them forward on the water.

I found the wall of birds really inspiring. I live in a bayside suburb of Melbourne and belong to the local birwatching club. We can't meet, but Tania who organises it, suggested this course. She sends out a bird of the week for us to identify. I'm heading out with my binnoculars to the beach right now.

Activity 1: My favorite bird in the Wall of Birds was the Marvelous Spatuletail because I love that it is so regal and so incredibly colorful and amazing! Activity 2: I opened my field guide to random pages, and the first bird was the Black Hawk-Eagle, which is in the Raptor group. I also opened my field guide to the page where the Limpkin is, which is in the Wader group, and to where the Slate-Colored Seedeater is, which is in the Finch and Bunting group. Activity 3: My favorite neighborhood bird is the hummingbird that quickly flitted past our backyard one day, and even though we have doves, flycatchers, sparrows and clay-colored thrushes, I feel like the hummingbird is so dainty and regal that it just surpasses all the other birds that we see here. We haven't identified this species of hummingbird yet, but from the quick glance I got before it flitted away, I saw dark green and maybe some white, although it could have had more colors that are only visible when the light shines on them. I didn't get the chance to take a photo of it, but last weekend, when we were outside of our neighborhood, I took a photo of a female Green-Crowned Brilliant, and I have to say that hummingbirds are just so extraordinary!

We live in Indianapolis, IN. This hawk (unidentified, to us) landed on our back deck and then in the yard. The picture was taken through a screened window. We welcome any identification ideas...Cooper's hawk? We've also seen American Goldfinch, American Robin, House Sparrow, Cardinal, House Wrens, and Canadian Geese!

I identified a Lincoln's Sparrow in my backyard this week. I was excited to identify it and have this course in part to credit with inspiring me. I have heard this bird's song many times, but wasn't sure what it was until it, and its apparent mate, landed within 2 feet of me in our cedars. I went to the All About Birds site, as well as my Birds of North America book, and confirmed its identity with visual and sound. The more common birds in our neighborhood are Cardinals, black-capped chickadees, white-throated sparrows, starlings, pigeons, crows, and a pair of Cooper's Hawks. I live in central Ottawa, in Ontario, Canada.

Activity #1: I found the Secretary bird interesting for a few reasons. First, I like the crest on it's head- it looks like a wild hairstyle. I also like the fact that it is a predator that uses its feet to attack mammals and reptiles. In addition, it is the only one in its family. Activity #2: The Black-necked Stilt is a bird I see often in ponds near my home, and I recently learned to identify it. I enjoy watching it walk in the shallow water with it's long, spindly red legs. I am impressed that the  non-nesting Black-necked stilts work together to fend off predators. I also like the snowy egret- especially it's black legs and yellow feet. Today I saw a Brown -headed Cowbird in my backyard. Once I figured out what type of bird it was, I read about its behavior and learned the females are "brood parasites". They lay eggs in other birds nests, and don't raise their own young. Brown-headed Cowbirds also eat eggs of smaller songbirds. I find the social lives of birds fascinating. Activity #3: My favorite birds in my yard are Anna's hummingbirds. There are at least three that frequent my feeder, and fly quite close to me. One is a male, one female and the other may be a juvenile or a smaller female.

Activity #1:  I like the American Oystercatcher because I'm a sucker for endangered animals, and this one's habitat is being lost and destroyed.  I think I may have seen one of these when I was at the Gulf last week at North Redington Beach.  The second one that caught my eye was the Prothonotary Warbler because it's yellow (yay!) and it was named after the papal clerks of the Roman Catholic Church (of which I am a member).  It also forms pair bonds for at least a season; which I always think is cool when animals choose long-term mates.  The last one I really like is the Atlantic Puffin.  My grandson got me hooked on this bird, and I got to go to the Project Puffin Visitor Center in Rockland, Maine on my trip there a couple of years ago.  They are doing tremendous work in getting the population numbers up again.

My favorite birds in the neighborhood right now are the ruby-throated hummingbird and the great blue heron.  They're favorites in our family because we waited a long time to see them.  It took a while for our feeder to attract the hummingbird and the heron wasn't always visible early in the spring at our local waterfowl preserve.  They're both unique and beautiful birds.

Activity #2: I've seen lots of song birds so far on my bird watching journey! I've seen lots of American robins, and I chased (at a distance, no birds were harmed!) a song sparrow around the lake shore a few weeks ago. I've also seen some different types of waterfowl; Canada geese and mallards, mostly, but I'm pretty sure I saw a family of common Mergansers the other day, which was cool. I love their spikey hair! I've also seen some woodpeckers and other tree-clinging birds. The other day, I walked out of my house to see three downy woodpeckers exploring a grove of trees between mine and my neighbor's houses! Very cool, can't wait to see more, I'd love to see a hummingbird soon!

Activity #3: Maybe not my absolute favorite backyard bird, but here is a picture of a bald eagle guarding his/her nest. It's a HUGE nest, and I could see at least 2 juveniles moving around inside. The first time I saw a bald eagle was when I was 18 on a canoeing trip down the Susquehanna River in central PA, and I was so fascinated because I always thought they were super rare for some reason. This eagle and nest are located on Sand Island on the Great Sacandaga Lake in the southern Adirondacks (NY). I like to visit them often and watch as mom and dad bring in fish and small animals for the young ones to eat!

Activity 3: I recently moved permanently to South Africa and have been loving getting to know the bird life around the area! My absolute favorite bird is the African Hoopoe, pictured below. It's the David Beckham-like hair that makes me love it!