Activity 1: I was fascinated by the bird ancestors and extinct birds. What a neat representation of them. Activity 2: This week I found a new bird at my feeder, and struggled to identify it. However, I finally was able to, and it turns out it was a female rose-breasted grosbeak. So exciting! We also have white breasted nuthatches in the neighborhood regularly and some sort of hawk. Activity 3: My favorite bird in my neighborhood is the blue jay. I love them! They're so loud and it's awesome.

I think one of the most fun things I've found in bird watching so far is finding that one unique individual that just stands out. For example, I'm pretty sure that this HAS to be the wise old elder House Finch female. This is a picture of a picture, lol. Took the shot with my dslr and then shared with others (you guys) by snapping a picture with my phone of the picture review on the camera screen.

I learned many interesting facts about various birds during these lessons, such as how several have lost their ability to fly.  I found the discussion on how to use different bird guides especially helpful.  I am fortunate to be in the countryside  in western New Hampshire where I can take walks through wooded areas and discovered multiple warblers migrating through.  I was excited to identify this Cape May Warbler this morning after seeing it in some marshy brush just up my road yesterday.

I am just starting this course and really enjoy it and all the photos and info people have posted.   I live on the central coast area of CA.  I really like the seabirds and wading birds that we can see over by the coast ( herons, egrets, cormorants, and gulls), but with the lockdown, I've been staying around my neighborhood, inland, and enjoying seeing and hearing the  garden and house birds., as I go for  a walk each day.  I was excited to hear what I thought was a mockingbird, though I didn't know what one looked like, and came home to look it up and sure enough, there is one nearby.  A friend had given me a birdbath for my apartment patio several months ago, and I had never seen any birds come to use it until last week when a couple of little sparrows come every day to splash in it.  That has been fun to watch. Activity # 1:   I liked looking up info on the Puffin and  Blue Footed Booby  as they are unusual in coloring, and it was nice to hear the cardinal again  ( we don't have them in our part of CA and there was one that used to come to the tree outside my aunt's house in Kansas when I lived there one year when she was ill, and it's singing always brought a smile to our faces.) I'm looking forward to learning more about birds, and am grateful to a friend who gifted me with this course.

I am staying with my parents for a few weeks in a New York City suburb.  They have a few stray cats that they feed each day on the deck.  I have noticed that there are always 4 or 5 bluejays that gather around during feeding time in the trees around the deck.  As soon as the cats start to walk away, they descend on the food, often squawking and arguing over the leftovers.  The cats seem scared of them, as the birds are pretty aggressive.  Very interesting to watch! I just started this course, and I'm trying to identify all the birds I see each day around the yard.

Favorite Bird Every morning, starting in February I heard yank yank yank high in the trees here in Portland Oregon in an area of mature conifers and broad leaf trees.  Red Breasted Nuthatch (RBN).  Heard, but not seen.  Starting in mid-May one individual RBN began to actively feed in the trees and even ventured down to the potted plants on my balcony.  It was picking insects and spiders from the plants.  I had combed out my brush and left some hair in one pot, thinking that the Anna's hummers would use it for nesting.  It was a good surprise to see the RBN swoop into the pot and fly off with a soft bundle of hair to line it's cavity nest. I don't know why I never see more than one RBN at a time around the trees but I am glad that that one is nesting.

So I took a chill hike in the mountains today.  We saw a bunch of birds and identified a few that we were able to find and take the time to observe.  My favorite was the white-headed woodpecker, which was a basis for a discussion on whether or not it was a woodpecker. We didn't observe it pecking at the tree nor did we see any red on its head (which I always thought was woodpecker distinguishing).  After some research (thanks Merlin), we were able to identify it and learned that its pretty common in the Sierras and forrest in the west which I think is pretty dang cool.

May 14, 2020 This is a tree swallow I saw at a park near my home in southwestern Ohio. The park has a large pond and is surrounded by fields. It is home to  many swallows, robins, doves, red-winged black birds, and sometimes even a heron. I did not know what kind of swallow this was until I got home and identified it with my Peterson's Field Guide. Learning about the bird groups in this first lesson helped me narrow down the choices. Also on this walk, my dog sniffed out a small, white egg under a shrubby evergreen. The egg was about the size of a large jellybean. Although it appeared to be whole, it was hollow and old. Perhaps it was a swallow's egg.

I live in west Sonoma County in California and I've identified two new birds this week around my house (so hard to get pictures of them though): In addition to the robins, towhees, scrub jays, crows and hawks I already knew about, I've identified a white breasted nuthatch that must have chicks in a birdhouse next door.  I've been watching it bring back food every few minutes in the evenings. A pair of red or purple (can't tell yet) house finches have been discussing housing on our front porch, and just began building a nest just outside our front door. I just installed two new feeders and three new bird houses in the trees.  So far the squirrels haven't been able to get into the food :)  

Hi - I'm writing from Massachusetts where I have the great fortune to live near the town forest which has deep woodland and a river - all kinds of wildlife to see! Activity #1 - Wall of Birds - I could have voted up every bird - and plan to revisit the wall often. I started at the bottom of the leader board to choose a couple of birds that were of particular interest. I found the Toucan Barbet interesting because of the way the pair sing with other - though not beautiful music I enjoyed the clicking that the female makes to accompany her mate - she is the percussionist! I also voted up the Egyptian Plover - of interest for the way the adults wet their underside and then lay over the sand that their chicks are buried in to keep them cool in the heat of the day - bird HVAC if you will! Activity#2 - Birds from different groups - I am very new at identifying birds so my choices are commonly known and found. For songbirds I have a Carolina Wren - a pair have nested in various structures at our house the last few years - this year it is in a basket on the wall of the house near the front door. second - Waterfowl group - We saw what I believe are Ring-Necked Ducks in a nearby conservation area as well as Mute Swans, mallards, and canvas back ducks. And third - in the raptor group what I think is a red-tailed hawk that has taken to hanging out over our yard (which is full of chipmunks, squirrels and song birds). Activity #3 - My favorite local bird is one I haven't actually seen - it is the Wood Thrush in the town forest - we often walk into the early evening and we are sometimes fortunate to hear its most beautiful melodious and ethereal song.

A favorite bird in my neighborhood is the Scarlet Tanager - absolutely striking, and easy to ID! :-) I'm from California and hadn't seen one before moving here to the East Coast, and starting up birding just recently.  Have seen two so far - the one in the picture followed me along the trail a ways, and wasn't shy so I was able to actually snap a photo.

I don't know that I could pick a favorite of my local birds. Originally I loved the Northern Paula as I thought the call it made, a very rapid succession of rising notes, while it threw its head back almost seeming to be laughing hysterically was the coolest thing. Then I discovered Carolina wrens in my back yard and loved how spunky they were. Then I discovered Roseate Spoonbills nearby. Them being commonly mistaken for flamingos brought a little bit of exotic thrill. Then I realized just how many Pelicans I see day after day and got a few really good photos of both American White Pelicans with fish in their bills and of Brown Pelicans which are our state bird. Then I discovered Anhingas. I've been calling them swamp bats because they're always perched just above the water, sometimes on a log and others in low hanging branches, with their wings spread wide open. I found out that they don't produce as much waterproofing oil as needed (or maybe it was they don't produce any waterproofing oils) to allow them to stay mostly dry while in the water and need to sun dry their wings for easier flight. Then I discovered just how many different sounds a Bluejay can make. Mine whistle while bobbing their whole body up and down (which makes it look like them look like they are the HAPPIEST birds ever nearly jumping for joy) and chatter like monkeys and make tiny chirps almost like whispering to each other and sound their loud, raucous calls just to try to describe a few of their sounds. Then there's Prothonotary Warblers, Baltimore Orioles, Pileated Woodpeckers, Starlings, and Crows. I've decided Crows must love crunchy Cheetohs because there's been so many times that I've seen a flock of them fussing over Cheetohs. I think one day I am going to go buy a small bag of Cheetohs, dump them out, and just watch the Crows go for them. I still haven't mentioned red winged black birds or wood ducks or muscovy ducks or black bellied whistling ducks or bald eagles or belted kingfishers or cormorants or gulls or doves or pigeons or owls.. the list just keeps going!

Activity 2 - I went on a long birding walk this morning along the Delaware River and saw a variety of birds, so I'm excited to do this one! 1) Saw a solitary sandpiper - which was very difficult to ID but I'm pretty sure it was that - from the shorebirds group. 2) Saw a Downy Woodpecker - which certainly is close to the Hairy woodpecker - but Id'd it based on its small size.  From the Woodpecker group. 3) Golden-winged warbler - which I Id'd based on it's black marking on its head -- it was difficult to ID also, warblers are tough! there are so many of them, and they're so small! So that is from the songbird category, and warbler group.... This walk is great because you go through an open field, and then into woodlands along a river with little marsh areas mixed in so there were lots of different types of birds to try and see!

Activity 1 - I chose the Bermuda Petrel. I'm drawn to seabirds, and interesting to know that this one is one of the rarest there is! Since I had to postpone a trip to Bermuda due to Covid, I'm hoping to get to see this one when I get to go sometime in the future! Pretty amazing that it was thought to be extinct for 300 years and now it's coming back (but still endangered).  Looks like my trip will have to include a visit to Nonsuch island if possible.

I live in Norfolk, Virginia, and I am new to birding. I have a lot to learn. I completed this exercise by looking up birds of the Wall of Birds that are common in my area and I derived a short list of backyard birds for my zip code using eBird. I then took my lists to All About Birds and looked up five birds to learn more about their colors and sizes, behaviors, foods and habitats. The birds I researched were the Northern cardinal, American Robin, Red-shouldered Hawk, Blue Heron and the Mallard. I listened to the songs of each bird to see if I could hear any of the calls in my surroundings. I have seen the cardinal and robin in my yard and a Blue Heron and Mallard on my daily walks. Today I think I heard a cardinal singing while I was gardening. This exercise had heightened my awareness of the birds in my local environment.

This is the Malayan Night Heron. I choose the bird because I am visiting Taiwan and it was the first bird I was able to identify, and I think it is beautiful.  I’ve seen it twice, by a pond hunting fish, and on the ground by a bike trail.  Both times is was quite unafraid and allowed me to get close to it. 

Hello from Gainesville, Florida! For Activity 1 I looked into the Great Blue Heron and the Osprey, since I've seen both of those here in FL. I was shocked to learn the GBH eats squirrels and even other birds! They always seem so slow moving and peaceful when I see them, so I'm surprised they can take down a squirrel or another bird. For Activity 3, I think my favorite neighborhood bird is the Boat Tailed Grackle. They remind me of my childhood growing up in South Florida, so I'm glad I finally know their name and now also know the males and females are the same species (they look so different!). Thanks Bird Academy :)

I live in south-central Pennsylvania, USA.  For Activity #2, there are birds from several groups that visit our feeders.  The mourning doves don't seem to eat on the feeders themselves, but they pick at the mess that the other birds make on the ground.  I like their calls.  We have a lot of the songbird - eastern bluebird.  A pair has built a nest and laid 4 eggs in the nest box we installed for our neighbor.  Hopefully, we will see babies in a few weeks?  I don't know how long it takes.  Then we have several of the woodpecker group, including flickers, hairy woodpeckers, and red-bellied woodpeckers.  As Activity #3, I chose those red-bellied as my favorite bird I've been seeing.  They strongly prefer the suet feeder that we have, although I have seen them on the tube seed feeder a few times as well.  I think its a struggle for such a large bird to eat at our tube feeder.  I think the large woodpeckers are charismatic and fascinating.  I will try to post some photographs sometime soon.

I live in Toronto. We have some great green spaces which attract many species of birds. My favourite is the red-tailed hawk which I enjoy watching in flight, - great at soaring. It is rare for me to go out for a run and not see one or two or more. They often land on the buildings in the downtown core and they regularly spook the pigeons.

Hello from just outside of Toronto! I'm discovering that I'm fascinated by all birds (except Canada geese -- we have way too many of them!) In our neighbourhood I was recently excited to see a Northern Hawk Owl. They usually don't come this far south. Once I finally spotted him, it was quite easy to photography him -- he sat very still on the branch, surveying his territory. He was giving me a bit of an eye, though. Just before the lockdown I was in Costa Rica, and that's where my interest in birds really came alive. We didn't see a Resplendent Quetzal, which is my favourite bird from the Wall of Birds. But I was very happy to see a Great Green Macaw thrashing around high above me in the rainforest. It was also a delight to find a Yellow-Throated Toucan. I'm thoroughly enjoying everyone's pics and stories!

Hello from just outside of Toronto! I'm discovering that I'm fascinated by all birds (except Canada geese -- we have way too many of them!) In our neighbourhood I was recently excited to see a Northern Hawk Owl. They usually don't come this far south. Once I finally spotted him, it was quite easy to photography him -- he sat very still on the branch, surveying his territory. He was giving me a bit of an eye, though. Just before the lockdown I was in Costa Rica, and that's where I really discovered an interest in birds. We didn't see a Resplendent Quetzal, which is my favourite bird from the Wall of Birds. But I was very happy to see a Great Green Macaw thrashing around high above me in the rainforest. It was also a delight to find a Yellow-Throated Toucan. I'm thoroughly enjoying everyone's pics and stories!     Just before the lockdown I was in Costa Rica, and that's where my interest in birds really started to come alive. We didn't see the

I listen to a mocking bird most mornings about 6:00am. His song is complex and varied. He is now my favorite. Visited my Mom in Florida and have learned about quite a few birds with her. I live near Lake Erie in New York and had a large woods next to my house growing up. Enjoyed watching birds at our feeder , Mom kept a field guide on a table near the window to help identify birds. I told my friend about birds I recognized and they thought I was so smart.😃 Thanks Mom

I love watching birds, but I am very limited in those that I can identify.  Although I could identify the birds at my feeders, today, thanks to the Merlin app, I was able to identify a bird that I saw at the top of a tree while I was out walking.  It was an Eastern kingbird.  Also, thanks to Merlin and listening to recordings available in this course, I now recognize the sounds of some of the birds I recognized by sight but not by their calls.

Hello from Ohio!  I have recently enjoyed watching the different birds come to my feeders in all my free time.  I have a male and female ruby throated hummingbird ( which I think might be a little early for Ohio) , 2 males and 1 female rose breasted grosbeak, and 2 male and 2 female Baltimore orioles. I was so excited about the grosbeaks since I have never had them at my feeders before. My friend and I recently spotted a Barred Owl while on a walk and could not believe how close it was to the trail that we were on.  Sorry I don't have pictures, that is the next thing that I would like to work on... taking good picture of birds. I have enjoyed looking at the pictures everyone has posted.

Reading people's posts here reminded me of this bird picture I took a couple of years ago. A Greater Roadrunner posing (with a dead lizard) in front of Monument Valley's iconic view!