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Activity #1: I am fascinated by the Secretary bird. It's near blindness unless it's prey move makes me think of Jurassic Park and the fact that T-Rex may have had similar qualities. Could it be that the secretary bird is a downsized version of the former kind of dinosaurs? It's pretty cool to think of it that way. Activity #2: I've been birding recently with more experienced birders. Some birds that I have seen/learned about are Orchard Orioles (found a nest!); King Birds (also found a nest and learned about their territorial personalities; Red-Tailed Hawks - these are the birds that got me into birding along with the Falcon. Next to our family garden plot live a pair of hawks and it's cool to watch them hunt, observe, swoop over us, and escape all the blackbirds that want them out of their space. Activity #3: BlueBirds! So many people have bluebird nest boxes it's cool to observe them. We've watched them lay eggs, the eggs have hatched, some aggressive sparrows are being fought off, and they go out and get food to feed the babies.
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Actividad 1 Las aves que me llamaron la atención y por las que vote fueron Hoatzin (Opisthocomus Hoazin), Oilbird (Steatornis Caripensis) y Nyctibius Griseus. Actividad 2 Los tres pájaros de tres grupos diferentes que encontré fueron: Grupo Palomas: Encontré a Paloma Manchada (Patagioenas Maculosa) Grupo Loros: Encontre a Kirki (Psilopsiagan Aymara) Grupo Colibríes: encontré a Picaflor Cometa (Sappho Sparganura), Picaflor Gigante (Patagona Gigas) Actividad 3 El pájaro que elijo es Pinchaflor (Diglossa Carbonaria), este pajaro es uno de mis preferidos porque es muy valiente ya que se enfrenta a los picaflores para poder alimentarse del néctar de las flores tubulares.
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Gracias. De donde viene el foto?
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Activity 3: although this photo was digiscoped, I have a pair of California quail visiting my backyard. My neighborhood is a recent development in farmland, so I working on improving the habitat in my backyard. These days I have house finches, house sparrows, mourning doves, Eurasian collared doves, red-winged blackbirds, Brewer’s blackbirds, and brown-headed cowbirds coming to my seed feeders and a couple of black-chinned hummingbirds coming to my nectar feeders and penstemons. Robins have been plucking serviceberries from the two shrubs I planted last year. As trees get bigger, I hope to see more small, insect-eating birds show up. I’ve had flyovers by Canada geese, snow geese, mallards, red-tailed hawks, Swainson’s hawks, osprey, and American kestrels. This past winter I had an immature sharp-shinned hawk and an adult Cooper’s hawk hunting my feeders and dark-eyed juncos feeding on seed I scattered on the ground. Killdeer are still present in the area but none have come to my yard.
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Really like the Wall of Birds concept. My main intent is to have basic bird watching skills, as I'm moving to Morocco and our house is located next to a bird wetlands/sanctuary that is now a formally protected area. It's hard to find a lot of info on the birds I will see there, but learning how to use the apps and try to identify - and started drawing them. By me now I got to see a huge flock of pelicans, and it was really exciting.
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I love Western Meadowlarks. I hear them in fields two miles from my home. They are difficult to photograph, because they are far from the street in grassy fields. Focusing on the bird and not the grasses is a challenge, but I was able to at least get an image that proves it is a meadowlark! I love their songs. The course is good for me - I have been birding for a long time but have lots to learn.
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Ahhh I’m a huge fan of the snowy plover (such a beautiful bird, considered a symbol of longevity and perseverance) ~I think it’s in the shorebird family? I don’t think I’ve ever encountered one, so I will be excited to add that to my life list at some point! before corona hit, I would see barn owls near the student union at my college (they’d come out at about 8pm regularly.) that’s something I really miss since having to go back home. But I’ve still gotten some nice encounters with birds since returning from school. we have a nest of barn swallows on our porch, and they’ve had two rounds of chicks. Lovely birds, if a bit sloppy! Haha
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I live in East Texas. Some birds I have seen on our property: Song birds..... Painted bunting (MY FAVORITE ❤️) Wading birds...Great blue Heron Woodpeckers....Pileated woodpecker, Downy woodpeckers, Red headed woodpecker Hummingbirds.....Ruby throated woodpecker
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Here in west Houston (TX) today Northern Cardinals, Tufted Tit Mouse (or should they be Titmice?) pairs, Carolina Chickadees and Blue Jays were all dining at our backyard feeder. White Wing Doves along with all of the others were using the bird bath to drink and cool off in the heat of the early summer. Overhead, Black Vultures that roost on the roof of nearby office buildings were circling overhead. Great Blue Herons were flying in a straight path several hundred feet high from their roosts & nests in nearby Addicks Reservoir to either Barker Reservoir or Buffalo Bayou.
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Activity 1: Hi! I really liked Wall of Birds and how it represented each bird on their geographical location. I came to know about the Albatross when I read a poem in school in which Albatorss was one of the main character. It was "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Since then, I am always thrilled with this bird. When I saw the Wall of Birds, my eye got fixed on Wandering Albatoross which I loved on how it is potrayed. I would like to thank the artist responsible for creating such a nice artwork. Activity 2: Grey-hooded Warbler (Phylloscopus xanthoschistos) (Insectivore), Plum-headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala) (Frugivore) and Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis) (Carnivore) Activity 3: I like Himalayan Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys) which is very common in my neighbourhood. It is an omnivorous bird and resident in Himalayas part of India.
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Fortunate to live in San Francisco right next to Presidio Park. My field guide is in the mail and I can’t wait to start exploring.
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I’m so fortunate to have access to some of natures cutest creatures. From songbirds like the chirping sparrow and bluebirds, to adorable tree creepers like the nuthatch and chickadee. Especially the not so common jewels like cedar waxwings, the downy and Harry woodpeckers, and northern flickers. This course is a pleasant way to pass quarantine time, thank you!!
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Activity 3 The robin is one of my favorites. In my yard they are the harbingers of spring when I hear their voices singing early in the morning. I typically have one couple every year build a nest on the downspout to raise a family. This year they needed to share their space with a couple of house sparrows after I blocked the gutters and other spaces where the sparrows were nesting. At first it was a battle over who would win the spot, but they seemed to reach a truce. A duplex was built with the shorter robin's nest against my house and the house sparrow nest (2 stories high compared to the robin nest) forming a wall and protecting the other from the elements.
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We have a robin nest in our gutter too. It's so lovely.
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I've enjoyed seeing many birds this Covid-19 Spring. One of my favorites is the Greater Sandhill Cranes that nest near my house in NW Colorado. I have lived in this location for 16 years and watched the pair of Sandhill Cranes come back each year to raise young. Often they have two chicks (which I have learned they call colts) but only one this year. I sometimes wonder if this year's pair may be one on the descendants of the original pair. I love to hear them call in the early mornings. I have heard a "woop woop woop" sound in the evenings for the past several years and could not figure out what it was. I though maybe an owl, or even a frog. This year I actually saw a "shorebird" with a long thin bill. After looking it up on Merlin and Audubon aps, I figured out it is (actually they are - I later found a pair) Wilson Snipes! What a cool call they have. Early spring we saw what looked like finches (songbirds), but I couldn't ID them. They came to our bird feeder. About the size of goldfinches, but without the full coloration. As we watched through the spring, the birds changed color and became yellow for the males and more distinct yellowish green for the females. Yes, goldfinches. I'm guessing the colors were "grayed out" during the winter. Does anyone know if that right? Enjoying the course.
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Hi all, I have been a bird watcher for as long as I can remember but have only recently started to study and try to differentiate their calls, songs, and names. I live on Maui and my husband and I were able to see a Japanese White-Eye or Mejiro nesting in a ti leaf plant right outside our living room window. The pair of birds nested for about 10 days and then hatched 3 babies. For the next ten days the pair took turns feeding the three and continuing to keep them warm. It was amazing to watch the progression from newly hatched and on to fledgling. We watch the three take their first tentative steps and trial flights out of the nest and on to the leaves and branches of the ti leaf plant. Within a half hour two of the three had flown off. The third departed about 15 minutes later. I'm sorry I don't have pictures to accompany my entry but hopefully I will become better with the camera.
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I am already an avid bird watcher although most of my watching is confined to my small back yard in NC. My favorite backyard birds are the Eastern Bluebird, the Red-Bellied Woodpecker, the Carolina Wren and the Brown-Headed Nuthatch. My favorite birds at the beach are the Great Egret, the Snowy Plover and the Sanderling. I am in the process of teaching two of my grandchildren (ages 5 and 3) about the birds and they can already identify many of the species in the backyard. They have not mastered binoculars yet - so I am using a telephoto camera on a tripod to give them close-up views.
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Hello all! Recently I have seen a Western Grebe (waterfowl/swimming birds), a couple eagles (raptors) and several mountain bluebirds (songbirds). I was on a hike when we saw several mountain blue birds, it was very exciting! I had never seen a bluebird before and we got to see several so it was very cool! The blue colour of the male is so striking. I have two favourite birds that I see in our neigbourhood in northern Alberta: black-capped chickadees and blue jays. I love seeing the chickadees because I see them often, I love their calls, and they are social, active birds that are fun to watch. Plus they are just so cute!! I love seeing the blue jays as they have never been a resident bird in any other place I have lived before. Their bright blue colouring is very pretty and their calls are very neat. I haven't managed to get pictures of either birds as they often move too fast before I can get my phone out!
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I enjoy watching birds in my yard and hope to learn more about them. I enjoy cardinals and finches especially. This year I was pleased to attract rose-breasted grosbeaks to my yard and was able to identify both the males and females. Hurray for me. I have also seen a small raptor enjoying a meal of a small rodent twice in my backyard. Not good enough a birder to be sure but I think it was a sharp shinned hawk. I once saw a female kildeer and her nest. She had picked an open space near a public garden plot I was tending. She clearly demonstrated injured bird behavior to protect her nest. Last year I had an opportunity to go on a birding foray with David Sibley in Denali National Park. He found an arctic warbler for the group. It was thrilling to see him observing and to hear him talk about our find.. Arctic warblers are only found in North America during their migration to their Alaska breeding grounds from Asia.
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I saw three groups of birds today! A great blue heron (wadding bird), a Carolina wren (songbird), and a barn swallow (wasn't mentioned in any of the groups so I'm pretending it's a different one :) )
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I'm excited to learn more about the lyrebird, found in Australia. They can mimic any sound or noise, including human-made noises like car doors closing or chain saws. Remarkable!
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On the Bird Wall it reminded me how I love the common loon. I think it is beautiful and it’s call is just so soothing. The other bird I just love is the peregrine falcon. I remember when I lived in NYC a peregrine falcon was making the news living up on the skyscrapers. There are house finches that live in thick bushy trees outside my apartment. They sing so beautifully. I love to listen to them and I stop to see where he is perched.
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From a trip to the Galapagos (and on the bird wall) I am fond of the Blue-footed Booby, a sea bird. They are really beautiful and easy to get fairly close to on the islands as there are no predators. I understand they engage in biparental parenting.
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I also had an opportunity to see the Blue footed booby. It was so exhilarating to see this storied bird and to be that special place. Their peaceful behavior was a wonder because they have no fear of humans. They could actually be a bit of a nuisance if you want to walk where they are!
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Activity 1: My favourite birds that I discovered on the Wall of Birds are the Great Blue Heron and the Black-necked stilt. The heron stirs up memories from my childhood when I went on a field trip to the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve in Chilliwack, B.C. These birds are majestic. As for the stilt, I love its long legs, which really do make it look like it's walking on stilts! Activity 2: The three birds I have selected are ones I have seen in my own backyard. One is most definitely a woodpecker. I think it is either a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker. The second one is a Northern Cardinal, which is part of the finch/bunting family (songbird), as I learned in this lesson. The third bird is a seagull, which I often spot flying high overhead. I can't get a close enough look to identify what type of seagull it is. I believe this belongs to the seabirds group. Activity 3: My favourite bird from my neighbourhood is the Northern Cardinal. I love the bright red plumage of the male. It was also one of the favourites of my grandfather who passed last year. Seeing the cardinal is a reminder of him.
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Close to the Huron River in Michigan, we see Great Blue Herons, mainly in Spring, Summer and Fall. This past Sunday one was wading in a small body of water at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, one of the natural areas curated by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
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You must live on the east coast. I sure do miss the colorful song birds back there. I live in Washington State now. The trees are tall and bushy and it’s hard to see what bird is singing in them.
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Hello All, I’m new to birding and right now I’m limited to feeder watching in my own yard. I try to do two sightings a day, one in the morning and one in late afternoon and submit the sightings via eBird. I can identify 12 species accurately with one exception... I’m not skilled yet in identifying the females of these species. I like to be more detailed in my descriptions by including gender in my reports. Sigh! Any suggestions would be appreciated! Jimmy
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Hi Jimmy, welcome to birding! Identifying female birds can be quite tricky. In some species, the male and female look alike so you don’t know which sex you’re looking at. With few exceptions, generally females are duller in color than males and may look quite different. Most incubation is done by females, so they then to be more cryptically colored. Here are some examples of how females differ from males in some common backyard birds. I live in the western US so most of my examples are from there. Female robins are very similar to male robins but not as brightly colored. Female house finches and most woodpeckers lack the red patches found on males. Female red-winged blackbirds are striped and can be mistaken for sparrows at first glance, but they are much larger. Female ducks are usually mottled brown and often are identified by which type of male they hang out with. Male and female doves look alike, but differ slightly in size, with the males being larger. With hawks and owls, the reverse is true in that the females are larger. Females and males of most hawks look alike. One exception is the northern harrier; males are gray and females are brown. Hope that helps. A good field guide can help you with identifying females. I prefer the Sibley guide and back it up with the National Geographic guide.
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Around my area, there are so many varieties of birds, especially woodpeckers! The most common one thatI saw was the Pileated Woodpecker. They always find their way to the trees in my backyard. I've also been spotting many bluebirds around here, and I think it may be a Moutain Bluebird. There are many songbirds around here that sing all day although I'm not exactly sure what type of songbirds they are. The chirps are so beautiful and cheery!
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For activity 1, there were so many amazing birds that I can't even begin to list them. I'd been seeing a Pine Warbler on my feeder for awhile, though not for the past week, I think it has flown on. There is a House Wren building a nest in our bird box. Just yesterday I saw an unsual light brown bird, it may have been a juvenile Brown-Headed Cowbird but I'm not sure I also can't pick a favorite bird in my neighborhood, but I have been taking some pictures, like this one of a White-Breasted Nuthatch
Activity 3: although this photo was digiscoped, I have a pair of California quail visiting my backyard. My neighborhood is a recent development in farmland, so I working on improving the habitat in my backyard. These days I have house finches, house sparrows, mourning doves, Eurasian collared doves, red-winged blackbirds, Brewer’s blackbirds, and brown-headed cowbirds coming to my seed feeders and a couple of black-chinned hummingbirds coming to my nectar feeders and penstemons. Robins have been plucking serviceberries from the two shrubs I planted last year. As trees get bigger, I hope to see more small, insect-eating birds show up. I’ve had flyovers by Canada geese, snow geese, mallards, red-tailed hawks, Swainson’s hawks, osprey, and American kestrels. This past winter I had an immature sharp-shinned hawk and an adult Cooper’s hawk hunting my feeders and dark-eyed juncos feeding on seed I scattered on the ground. Killdeer are still present in the area but none have come to my yard. 
We have a robin nest in our gutter too. It's so lovely. 
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