• Ruth
      Participant
      Chirps: 6
      IMG_8105 Activity #3 Favorite backyard Ground bird is Gamble's Quail. Male will find the highest point around to make his calls, top of houses, trees, chimneys; they walk really fast and is great to see the little ones with mom, dad running around the neighborhood.
    • amanda
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      female kingfisher Belted kingfishers are my favorite birds that live around here. I don't see many of them but every once and awhile, when I crawl out of my house for the day, I hear this chattering sound and that's when I know there's a kingfisher at the pond. I love to see them fly, but I have never seen one fish. I would like to see them more but I'm too lazy to get out so I enjoy them when I can.
    • Jennifer
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      I completed the first lesson today and am so excited to further my bird interest and watching skills!  My backyard is full of birds despite it not being wooded, and being surrounded by neighbors.  I have a feeder just outside my back bay window, and so far this spring/summer I have seen 33 different species of birds!  A couple are just summer visitors to our area, so they've been exciting to spot.  There have been a variety of groups represented in the yard and at the feeder.  We had a Red-Shouldered Hawk  (Raptor) decide to enjoy its lunch in the middle of the yard, and a beautiful Common Grackle (Black Birds) stopped at the feeder.  He had a beautiful, shiny dark blue head that just makes you appreciate what nature can produce.  And rounding out the three groups is a Common Yellow-Throat Warbler (Warbler).  A common year-round favorite in my yard and neighborhood is the Eurasian Tree Sparrow.  I love it simply because the only place they are found in the wild in the United States is in St. Louis, MO and its suburbs.  There is a great history to that reason.  They are skittish little birds so combined with my photography skills that makes for blurry pictures.  They closely resemble the male house sparrow but can be slightly shorter and narrower.  Their heads are a darker brown than that on their bodies and wings- which are streaked with black and flecks of white feathers. Their bellies are a tan color. They have a black mask that flows into a black bib, and white on the sides of the head with a black mark on each side.  Hopefully I'll eventually be able to get a decent photo to share!
    • Dory
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      Red shouldered hawk 04Goldfinch male 03Hummer male 02 I'm including photos from three different groups from my backyard. From the raptors, we have a red-shouldered hawk, whom we have named Pierre, since we often see him (her?) with frogs legs hanging out of his mouth. From the songbirds (finches and buntings), we have a male goldfinch. From the hummingbirds, we have a male ruby-throated hummingbird, the only hummingbird found in my region. I live in Maryland, USA.  
    • Terry
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      IMG_0905 We are so lucky to be housesitting our friend's home on Camano Island, north of Seattle.  The first photo is  Anna's hummingbird, which if kept fed, now spend all year in coastal areas in Washington State. My husband and I have been mesmerized watching the bald eagles feeding at high tide and soaring in the evening updrafts. The second photo has 7 eagles or (5 mature, 2 immature) I believe.  We also have ospreys and at a distance have a hard time telling the osprey from the immature eagle.  The eagles were feasting on small fish being washing into shallow water on the beach at high tide.  Lazy fishermen!  I took this photo from the very steep steps that lead to the beach.  Can't get very close at all to these big guys!IMG_0937
      • Dory
        Participant
        Chirps: 3
        Hummingbirds are amazing to watch!
    • Randy
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      BAA91909-D527-4F98-A69D-7EDDFF2B2FB6_1_201_a011DBF4F-F92B-49A2-A6EC-722354AD5725_1_201_aD7624FA4-AA54-4F37-8D5B-6A003B10C6D0_1_201_aMy favorite of the bird groups is the raptors.  I live on a large reservoir in the southeastern U.S.  Although I was aware that ospreys were known to nest on a shallow area of the lake near my home, until recently, I had never been able to observe one.  On a whim, I ventured out on an early morning in June to see if I might spot one.  Not only did I spot a pair nesting on a hazard marker in the middle of the lake, I was able to get close enough to get some splendid photos. What a thrill!
      • Terry
        Participant
        Chirps: 4
        Wonderful photos!
    • Terry
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      We are so lucky to be housesitting our friend's home on Camano Island, north of Seattle.  My husband have been mesmerized watching the bald eagles feeding at high tide and soaring in the evening updrafts.   First photo has 7 eagles or (5 mature, 2 immature) I believe.  We also have ospreys and at a distance have a hard time telling the osprey from the immature eagle.  The eagles were feasting on small fish being washing into shallow water on the beach at high tide.  Lazy fishermen!IMG_0937
      • Terry
        Participant
        Chirps: 4
        Sorry for the duplication, cannot determine how to delete my accidental post.
    • Tracy
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      I'm not great at getting pictures, but cardinals are my absolute favorite birds.  I lived in Western Nebraska and Colorado for most of my life and there aren't any cardinals there!  When I visited my native state of Michigan as an adult, I heard the cardinal song and was immediately struck.  Since moving here, they have been my inspiration and my comfort.  Their appearance brightens the long, snowy winters and honestly seeing them has helped pull me through what's probably Seasonal Affective Disorder!  Their physical beauty and distinctive call is their winning combo. I'm seeing lots of mallards with ducklings this time of year, which is also a joy.  A couple of weeks ago, I saw a Merganser with at least 20 little ones in tow. Hoping the herons show up soon. And, I'm making it a point to see a snowy owl this winter.
    • Alena
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      Activity 1 is incredible, I enjoyed the ancestors of modern birds as well as seeing the variety of birds on the world map. My interest in birding started with a call that I’ve never heard before and then later a siting of an owl. I spent 3 months trying to ID the owl searching owls calls on internet and reading everything about different owls. Turns out it was a northern hawk owl that is extremely uncommon in WI. Activity 2 I loved being able to take the knowledge from the lesson and apply it to my backyard visitors. Mostly songbirds and hummingbirds, but once in a while a surprise rolls in like a flock of wood ducks that were just as scared of me as I was of them 😄 Activity 3 I can’t post a picture but my favorite bird is a house wren. They sing so pretty and are quite entertaining to watch. The fact that male picks several spots for a nest and a lady makes a final choice is cute, what a gentleman.
    • Almond
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      My favorite birds are hummingbirds because I love tiny things. Three birds I've learned about because I think I've seen them around are the Long-billed Thrasher (songbird group), Mourning Dove (pigeons & doves group), and Cattle Egret (wading birds). A favorite bird that I've seen in my neighborhood is the Northern Cardinal. I love its bright color.
    • Nathaniel
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      coopers-hawk A Cooper's Hawk I captured through my kitchen window yesterday afternoon.
    • Robert
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      IMG_3632 I managed to get a decent shot of this common tern while walking on one the piers in Hudson River Park, NYC. I like that it's smaller and sleeker than most of the seabirds I see, and nattily dressed too, with that black cap and red bill.
    • Mark
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      AF5A11F7-4317-471E-9853-84774FC51296This is a comb-crested Jacana I saw at Enoggera Reservoir, Brisbane Australia.. This photo gives me a feeling it is An elegant and sophisticated bird, ready to go out to a dinner dance function, carrying its deportment aloofly.  It can appear to be able to walk on water
    • Lillian
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      MagpieGalahs
      • Lillian
        Participant
        Chirps: 3
        It's so hard for me to nominate just one favourite bird, I love so many of them!  Pictured above are some of the regular visitors to my backyard.  A lone magpie sitting on the fence.  And a flock of galahs enjoying some seed on the ground.  Also pictured are 2 rainbow lorikeets and a crested pigeon.
    • rita
      Participant
      Chirps: 15
      I loved looking at the wall of birds! It is beautifully painted and extremely informative. I especially like the pencil drawings of the extinct species. I have chosen Cedar Waxing, Goldfinch, and Red bellied woodpecker as my three birds. I espied a pair of Cedar Waxwings while out on a walk earlier this spring, I have many goldfinches in my neighborhood and especially my yard as I have lots of black eyed Susans and echinacea, and they like the seeds from these flowers. And there are Red bellied woodpeckers living in the neighborhood, and they have visited my trees looking for food. Cedar Waxwings belong to the waxwing group, Goldfinches to the finch family, and Fred bellied woodpeckers are a large woodpecker. The Red bellied woodpecker was perhaps my favorite to see- they are large with rather long, pointed bills that they use to get insects from dead or infested trees. The waxwings were sort of a nice surprise- they were in a dead tree overlooking the Huron River. And the goldfinches are here every year due to the fact that I make sure to plant things with seeds that they like. I will have to take photos to upload at another time.
    • Ken
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      Junco We have a lot of Dark-eyed Juncos on our property, and they are amazingly easy to call (with the aid of an app).
    • Ken
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      AmericanGoldfinch I really like yellow birds for some reason. I guess it is just that they are so striking and it was only recently that I started seeing them in the wild. We often get American Goldfinches at our birdfeeder.
    • Ken
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      Hairy Woodpecker This Hairy Woodpecker nested in the large maple tree in my backyard this year. He is one of several different species of woodpeckers on my property, and he has been around for many years. He has the unfortunate habit of landing in the eavestrough above my bedroom window and drumming at daybreak.
    • Nora
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      two pichshers i do not know what they are because they were flying and far away IMG_7956 copyIMG_7955 copy can someone tell me what they are? my favorit bird i see is the ospere but i love all birds.
    • I always love watching the crows in our neighborhood, and see them trying to scare away the cats.  I talk to them, and seem to be interested in listening.
    • Jianxuan
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      08521429-8094-401B-9720-CA1CD907D117 I live in Long Island and I saw this (house?) finch in my neighborhood. I saw this type of  bird only once so I assume it is uncommon where I live. I like this particular bird because I like small birds and the color of it just makes it so much prettier.
    • Brenda
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      Activity 3:   coopers-hawkI saw the most unusual thing on Valentine's Day.  A hawk was in my bushes thrashing around.  I thought it was killing one of the chipmunks or squirrels or rabbits that roam my backyard.  At first I thought it had probably already done terminal damage and I couldn't stop it, but it kept on.  Finally I went outside and yelled and threw tennis balls at it - don't worry, I can't hit the side of a barn, but nothing would make it stop.  Then I saw that there were two of them.  I thought -- are they mating?   They carried on forever.  It was pretty rigorous. Then when the action stopped, I thought that one of them had killed the other one, but the upright one dragged the prostrate one out of the bushes by one foot.  The prostrate one got up and they both flew off together!  I think from what I could see with the thrashing and the bushes impeding my view was that they were Cooper's Hawks.
    • Brenda
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      Activity 2:  The Wren is in the songbird group.   The Cardinal is in the songbird group. The Brown Thrasher is in the songbird group too.  The Common Loon is a swimming bird.  
    • Brenda
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      I voted for the Carolina wren, Brown Thrasher, Common Loon - what a magical song, so mystical, and the Cardinal.  We have three of these in our backyard, but the loon calls to me across some ethereal, Camelot-like setting and beckons me to a enter the mist to a world of imagination.
      • Lynn
        Participant
        Chirps: 2
        I am a very beginner bird watcher. I was outside on the porch, listening to the bird sounds on the computer and as I got to the Carolina Wren, the call was very chatty, and before i realized it, a Carolina Wren had flown in and was sitting right beside me.  I was able to see every detail of  color and markings..I felt like I had seen heaven!  Made my day!
    • Janet
      Participant
      Chirps: 7
      20200711_122008 Activity 3 - One of my favourite birds The Cape Batis is a small, stout insect-eating passerine bird in the wattle-eye family. I like this bird because it is secretive, although allows one to get close enough to observe it.