Activity 3: A true novice, I have begun trying to identify the birds that visit my yard armed with the Merlin app and a pair of binoculars. I was rewarded almost immediately by seeing what the tiny hummingbirds (think they are Allen or Rufous) were up to in the early morning. I don't have hummingbird feeders, but many fruit trees. I could see the hummingbirds zipping around and perched on top of the uppermost branches, but I was charmed to discover another behavior. They were not just sitting on my apple tree, but were bathing in the dew on the leaves, quickly rolling around several times before flying off. It was a delight to observe their behavior.

Activity 3: My favorite bird in my neighborhood (with a pond) is the Belted Kingfisher, which also happens to be one of my top birds of all time, so that's pretty cool. They are actually quite rare to spot around my area, but I was lucky to be able to catch a few glimpses with my binoculars, mainly because one or two lives near the pond I think. I just love the contrasting color palette of its feathers, that gorgeous blue head and back (like a cape almost) paired with the radiant orange chest stripes that pops from the surrounding white feathers. Moreover, I have seen many photographs (including the one below) of them, and also videos of them diving to catch fish, so cool!!! Photo from the All About Birds website.

Back in the spring right at the end of the great Migration, we were out on the lake in western NC. The sun was setting and I kept seeing this bird on the lake disappear for minutes at a time then emerge. I remember thinking, “that’s not a duck,” as it joined three others. Then it spread its wings and let out a haunting call right as I focused my binoculars. I still think of that evening often - a highlight of my birding recently. I love love love a Common Loon more than I ever expected to.

my favourate bird on the bird of walls definetly has to be King of Saxoony Bird of Paradise, This lil guy is so unique and foriegn from what im used to seeing out in western canada that it makes me excited at the prospect of exploring the world some more some day.  What other unique situation has created some unique little buddies. My favourate local bird has to be the American Gildfinch because I get to see families of them feeding on the seed my mom likes to throw out.  The small ones look the size of my thumb and will stay and eat seeds even as I walk up to them, so cute and fluffy.  They are a small yellow bird with a short-wide beak, a black or darker forehead depending on plumage and gender with black wings with a white bar or 2.

I enjoy the wall of birds thoroughly! hard to pick a favorite!!..really like the red breasted nuthatch   Activity 2: A few weeks back I was able to identify a pygmy nuthatch, which was really cool as they are very small and cute! Anytime I go out birding I see wonderful examples of cormorants and Great blue herons.   Activity 3: my favorite bird and the one that has gotten me into birding is the American robin. I hear them most mornings in my neighborhood and love the sweet song,  Tonight I was at a local natural area, and it was delightful having the opportunity to watch a robin perform its song. I love watching robins hop around, and find them to be friendly and familiar, and wonderful!

Activity 3: I have been enjoying the Wood Thrush this summer. I was first drawn to its cheery song! Then, I finally identified the bird that was singing this delightful song. The Wood Thrush's belly is spotted, and the spots look like little leaves.  Photo from The Cornell Lab All About Birds.

Activity #2 I was able to use the Merlin app on my iPhone with my own photos to get an initial ID of a Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay. I then used the Sibley app on the phone to look at descriptions and details to confirm the Merlin ID (also using the Sibley app it looked like a juvenile of the species). I then was able to post my photos and initial ID to a local Facebook group and they kindly provided feedback and confirmed my ID as correct. Was a fun process and I feel confident in the identification of this bird. It was so nice to have those guides and resources with me out in the field at my fingertips. 😎

Activity 2 - There is a Great Blue Heron rookery very near my home.  They return in late February/early March, and it is fascinating to watch them as they build new nests and return to the existing ones.  There are usually 8-10 nests, and and about twice as many herons. Activity 3 - My favorite local bird is the American Goldfinch. They visit my goldfinch feeder many times each day, and I love to see them in early to mid summer when the males are sporting their vibrant yellow colors.

Activity 1: I enjoyed exploring some unique birds on the Wall of Birds interactive. Three of my favorite birds were:

• The Atlantic Puffin because these clown-like birds crack me up.
• The Superb Lyrebird because they have such a distinctive breeding ritual.
• The Hartlaub's Turaco because they have beautiful plumage and because the vocal sounds they make are similar to a jungle monkey's calls.

Activity 2: 

• One evening a couple of weeks ago, I heard a distinctive bird song in my northeastern Ohio neighborhood. The song sounded somewhat like a frog's croak. I analyzed the bird song on the Merlin app and found out it was most likely made by a Yellow-Billed Cuckoo. I have yet to actually see one.
• I see a lot of species of woodpecker in my backyard. By far the largest species I've seen is the Pileated Woodpecker.
• I saw a hawk near my house last night. I used Merlin to identify the species of hawk I saw. It was most likely a Red Shouldered Hawk.

Activity 3:  My favorite neighborhood birds are wild turkeys. I saw two female turkeys with their poults foraging in my yard the other morning. I was surprised at the number of offspring they were caring for. I counted sixteen tiny poults following their mothers around.

Activity 3- I’m sharing a favorite bird that I see frequently in my backyard. I think it’s an oak titmouse or plain titmouse which is a songbird. Specifically, I’m not sure if it’s a small flycatcher. I love the tuft of feathers on top of its head. Makes me happy!!

Activity 2. Walking at an estuary yesterday I saw and heard many songbirds, including red winged blackbird and song sparrow. Saw ducks, including a wood duck mama and many little ones. Gulls - I think they were ring-billed gulls. Wader: great blue heron. Activity 3: Favorite bird in my yard is a hummingbird. I think they are Rufous hummingbirds. I love the way they dart around. They have been feeding at my crocosmia lately.

Activity #1 The Artist has captured on the Wall of Birds a magnificent order and beauty of the world of birds. Activity #2 The Passeridae Family or House and White crowned sparrows remind me of the Lark Sparrow I see each morning.  It greets me with a call.  I had a whistle to make sounds as a child but can not find one today.  As an experiment, I make a human sound cheap,cheap and this little bird imitates my sound every morning and flies off to find insects.  It is the sweetest sound and interaction of my morning and enjoy the songbirds. The Hirundinidae Family or Barn Swallow has adapted to nesting in my building during the winter.  As a song bird, the Swallow does not make song but makes a soft sound when it flies by (3 feet).  As Spring arrives there is a courtship ie preening.  The Swallow seems to be more private than the Sparrow. Activity #3 I have no pictures to share of these sweet friends. Ruth

The ospreys are captivating, from the time they arrive in late winter, until the time they migrate in the fall for their clear, piercing call, their skill at catching fish, their honor for not stealing from others, their deft flying maneuvers when defending their nest, their loyalty and dedication to their nest and their mate. Looking up at them in the nest, guarding or feeding young in the hot summer makes me wonder at all the conditions they endure and inspires images of them flying over the dynamic sea during migration, in the dark of night, the glow of sunrise, navigating gales and pelting rains. The mockingbird is so entertaining with the quickly changing sequence of phrases, delivered faster than I can identify them. It is remarkable and even kind of funny when the long diverse clear melody is suddenly interrupted by the brash, raspy imitation of a blue jay alarm call, so different from the rest of the songs! The eastern towhee announces its arrival with such a bright and innocent confidence that also just evokes joy. Its way of bouncing around goes with the clear, upward call and happy posture.

Activity 3 My favorite bird is the Eastern Bluebird.  I have two pairs that have bested in the bluebird boxes on my backyard fence posts this spring.  The first clutch has already fledged; the other has been hatched for about 2 weeks.  It’s so fascinating to watch the mama and papa flying back and forth and working diligently to feed their young ones.  The beautiful blue of their feathers is just gorgeous. I never get tired of seeing them!

In activity 3, I chose the house sparrow, my favorite bird. The male has facial markings that kind of remind me of a clown! It is such a surprise to see them at my feeders, even though some consider them territorial, because my "customers" are mainly house finches and Anna's hummingbirds. House sparrows are my favorite bird because of how beautiful the markings are.

Activity 1: I enjoyed looking at this wall and learning about the yellow-billed magpie. I would love to see one of these if I ever go to California. Activity 2: Last week I went to Eagle Marsh Nature Preserve and found 37 species over two days. My three favorite sightings were green herons, spotted sandpipers, and red-headed woodpeckers. Activity 3: I commonly see blue jays hanging around my backyard, and these are my favorite everyday birds.

Activity 1- I really enjoyed the bird wall & will come back to it as I could have spent hours looking at all the birds! I’m drawn to birds with color on them. I enjoyed reading about the orange-bellied leaf bird, Lilac-breasted Roller and the Four-colored Bushshrike. Activity 2- today I had a very vibrant, male cardinal eating out of my feeder! Normally the House Sparrows run other birds off, so I was glad to have him there. I’ve seen several hummingbirds at the park I walk at by my house, always fascinating to watch. My friend and I use the phrase “just a Robin” or “just a red-winged blackbird” since they are in abundance where I live (Iowa). We wonder if they would seem more exciting if we didn’t always see them. Activity 3- my favorite bird is the American Goldfinch, which is also the state bird. I love the vibrant, yellow color & the whimsical way they fly!

Activity 1: https://montereyart.org/uncategorized/jane-kim-migrations/ I wanted to see new birds and explore this exhibit for my birthday. I live in Northern CA. It was interesting. I liked the interactive wall and it looks like South America has the most birds. Activity 2: Yesterday went to a local regional park. Last year is was all dried up. This year water abundance, new nest boxes for the Tree Swallows, but wondered about predation since California Gulls were in abundance. Finally viewed and photographed a Common Yellowthroat, real treat. And, as I am enjoying this class just watched a CA Scrub-Jay take a bath. Still trying to figure out if picture is Wood Pee-wee or another flycatcher. A hummingbird ran it off, and no time to capture any sound. Activity 3: I like top predators, what can I say. The Peregrine Falcon was my favorite as a kid. Red-tailed Hawk

Hello! I Sometimes go on bird walks, and one of the most common birds I see are House sparrows! Able to eat almost anything, these small, cute birds capture my heart- And my binoculars! -A Birder

I enjoyed the Wall of Birds. Like another commenter, I read about the oystercatcher, a bird I had never seen until I was in Scotland in 2017. I was so excited to see the first one, and subsequently I saw big groups of as many as 30 or more. Very beautiful bird. I also read about the Splendid Lyrebird, which my husband and I saw in Australia while in the back woods at the second-largest rock there. My husband thought it was some kind of dinosaur, which of course in a way it is. The noises that they make are extremely strange, including mimicking a camera and a chain saw.

I enjoyed Activity 1, where I got to look at the Wall of Birds.   One of the birds I learned about is the American Oystercatcher. They live by the shore, and eat bivalve mollusks, such as mussels and clams. I also enjoy eating bivalve mollusks. My favorite is oysters on the half shell.   I would like to see an American Oystercatcher. I live by the shore, so I might see one soon. According to the eBird bird tracker, there haven't been many sightings within walking distance of my house. However, they are very abundant in an area 25 minutes away by car. I hope to visit that area soon.

My favorite bird by FAR is the Northern Cardinal. There's a HUGE group of them near where I live in Burlington, VT. I like how they're the first birds you hear in the morning around dawn and the last near dusk. Since getting into this hobby I notice that my ears are so much more keen and  observant to bird songsand calls. Just the other day I noticed that all of the birds in my neighborhood were in some sort of "tizzy"  I kept listening and now I know why. There was an owl in the neighborhood in the middle of the day and the other birds were definitely sending the alarm. Birds are so cool!

My favorite birds are anything found near the water! Though the ruddy ducks have recently migrated away from my area, I loved getting the chance to see them in their breeding colors. Other favorites are Great Blue Herons, and recently I've been spotting a Kingfisher nearby... though I've yet to see it go fishing! Maybe someday :)

Activity 1: Wall of Birds   I have a lot of favourite birds, but the three-wattled bellbird really caught my attention while looking at the Wall of Birds. They are so unique looking and have beautiful colours!   Activity 2: Birds from three different groups   While looking through some photos that I took while on walks or from my backyard bird feeder, I found three of my favourite species from three different groups that we learned about in this course. One was a pileated woodpecker (from the woodpecker group) that I had spotted pecking at a rotting log. I had never seen a pileated woodpecker prior to that, and I was absolutely amazed at the size and the brightness of the crest!   Another is the mourning dove (from the doves and pigeons group). I see them often in my backyard and think that they are so adorable. They often perch on my back deck all fluffed up in the early hours of the morning. Finally, the red-winged blackbird (from the songbirds group) is another favourite that I occasionally see in my backyard. The males are so stunning when they fly across the yard with their red wing patches on full display. Activity 3: Favourite bird As I previously mentioned, I have a lot of favourite birds! One that I haven't mentioned yet is the American goldfinch. I love their bright yellow colour and sweet song.

Favorites in my neighborhood: Northern flicker, American goldfinch (I think!) and wild turkey. I like the northern flickers because it was fun using the "v" on the back of their necks to identify them - one of the first times I've used a clue like that to identify a bird.  The goldfinch is not overly common, so seeing the bright yellow from time to time is exciting. And the turkeys are just so interesting, big, and active, especially in the spring when mating begins.