I live in the Chicago area and I have been taking a walk every morning and doing some bird watching.  Have found a lot of Red-bellied Woodpeckers, a Red Tailed Hawk’s nest (I think) and  some Song Sparrows. The warblers are arriving and yesterday I saw my first Palm Warbler.  Enjoying the class.

I have a feeder outside my home and was able to see two morning doves and two song sparrows (though I wish I could identify more specific; hope to learn how).

I live in Little Rock, Arkansas and this time of year I have some beautiful visitors passing through - rose breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles.  Right now I also have Indigo Buntings on my feeders.  But on the Interactive Map, I voted for the Blue Footed Booby because I visited the Gallpagos 3 years ago and was enchanted by these creatures.  Because everything is protected, they have no fear of you and carry on their normal activities within a few feet of visitors.  One day I witnessed 2 males vying for the affections of one female.  They flapped their bright blue feet and danced around her as she observed them, sometimes seeming quite aloof as though neither was of interest to her.  Then, unexpectedly, she walked over to one of the males and flapped her differently shaded blue feet at him and off they walked together.  They walked in my direction and the rest of the mating game took place right at my own feet.  The male demonstrated his great nesting ability by sweeping an area clear as though building her a nest.  She must have really like it because she walked up to him and draped her neck over his.  It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

I am so happy to finally be learning about the birds around me! Just in the past couple of days, I've seen amazing species (in northern Vermont), and I'd love to briefly share, even though I didn't get pictures. Yesterday, a female grouse (that had been around a couple of times eating last year's apples) climbed all the way up a maple tree, eating the red flowers as it went ever higher. It used its wing to steady itself as it sat in the branches, then awkwardly flew into the deeper woods. I can't tell if it's a Spruce Grouse or what, but I'm sure it doesn't have a crest (which would make it a Ruffed Grouse). Also yesterday, in a woody clearing, I heard a plaintive two-part chirp. Using my field guides and this site's bird song ID videos, I see that it is a Broad-winged Hawk - and one of a pair (I heard one calling back). I am thinking I don't want to spook this couple too much since they obviously are here to breed. Finally, I've seen a lot of my old friends the American Robins these days. I know they are just regular birds, but I love how they live AMONG us, not just near us. Today as I was making coffee I visited with one just outside my kitchen window. This course is making me realize that even though I don't know how to identify a lot of songbirds, I might already be a better birder than I think. I actually am familiar with lots of shore birds, and raptors, and a few woodpeckers, and so on. Looking forward to plugging in to all this information and learning a lot more!

Here in the Northeast, we have begun (well a couple weeks back) to hear the Red-wing Blackbird return (I haven't seen one yet- I live near water, but not on it), and a couple days ago I saw a Blue Jay again! The Cardinals have been with us all winter, but they seem brighter lately for some reason. Yesterday I watch two brilliantly blue-black Grackles fighting with each other... could it have been a mating dance? I don't know- but they were jumping at each other, spreading their wings and making a racket!  I learned in these lessons that the Cardinals are a different group than the Grackles but the Redwing blackbirds are in the same family as the Grackles.

Hello Everyone, Just wanted to share a very interesting Facebook page, "Bald Eagles of Centerport". I am lucky to live in and area where a mating pair of bald eagles decided to build their nest. Professional and amateur photographers/videographers regularly capture and post incredible images and videos on this page. The eagle are currently raising 3 eaglets and 2 other pairs have already fledged in the past 2 years. Enjoy!

I live in Michigan and my favorite birds at my feeders are the Goldfinches, Hummingbirds and Woodpeckers.  I provide thistle for the goldfinches, and love how they stay all year, and the males turn colors for the seasons, now that it is spring they are all turning back to that glorious yellow!  Hummingbirds aren't year round here, so it is time for me to get their nectar going, sometime we briefly get Baltimore Orioles on their way up north.  The Woodpeckers get the suet, that they have to share with the squirrels.  It's fun to see them hanging on to get every last piece!

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I'm in the Chicago suburbs. I've been experimenting with different suet bricks for my feeder. I mostly get chickadees, sparrows, cardinals. One more rare bird I spotted enjoying it was a small sandy/greyish bird with a flash of yellow under its wings. About the size of a chickadee. I wonder what it is. I also have downy woodpeckers that go up and down a river birch tree. When in the car, I enjoy spotting hawks perched high up in trees looking for food.

In northern Michigan, my favorite songbirds to watch are the chickadees at my bird feeder.  There are Mallards, Geese, and Loons on the lake, and (I think) herons on the shore. I hope the loons come back this year! I hear many woodpeckers, and was amazed to see how big the Pileated Woodpecker is! I watched him pick away at an old log for over 30 minutes.  The birds are one reason I love this area.

I live in the Southeast and am relatively new to birding. I've been paying a lot of attention to the birds in my neighborhood, and per activity 3, I would have to say that my favorite so far has been the little pine warbler. I find warbler's fascinating little birds, very cheerful and energetic.

My favorites from the wall of birds would be the shoebill because it has such an intimidating appearance, the common loon because I find it's call so moving, and the osprey because its triumphant return to Long Island has heralded the rehabilitation of our local environment and the fruition of restoration efforts. I have located the following birds in in three groups in my neighborhood: 1. Song Sparrow - Songbird 2. Herring Full - Seabird 3. Canada Goose - waterfowl My favorite bird to spot in my neighborhood is any one that I haven't spotted yet! I have seen cardinals, grackles, blue jays, robins, and sparrows, but the thrill is in identifying a new bird. Plus I know that there are several it there given the diversity of birds calls that I hear. I know that there are woodpeckers even though I haven't seen them, and I suspect that I saw a Merlin swoop past while on a walk two weeks ago, but I could not verify.

I didn't get a good picture but I ran right into a Northern Crested Caracara today - it was on the road going after the same roadkill as a couple of Black Vultures. They started showing up in my area about three years ago (as I read online) and I was pumped to see one. I sat and checked it out for thirty minutes or so. It had flown up into a tree and sat there for a long time.

My backyard is a certified wildlife habitat. I have a Purple Martin house, a bluebird nesting box, and I left a dead tree in my yard for the woodpeckers. This is the first time I have ever had bluebirds in my yard. I recently found a Downy woodpecker nesting in the dead tree. I have cardinals, chickadees, tiffed titmouse, mockingbirds and others. There is a coopers hawk that comes to the yard once in a while, I saw it take one of the purple martins right before the purple martin could reach the safety of the house. I love going the rookery and watching the birds. It is so relaxing to watching them building their nest and/or feeding their babies.

I got into photography a couple of years ago, love getting out in nature and snapping photos of wildlife.  I had no idea there were so many different ducks, I want to find out more about waterfowl in my area, middle of Michigan.  I consider myself very lucky to have stumble across a pair of wood ducks.

Activity 3   I always enjoy seeing the bright colorful male cardinal.   In winter, they brighten the evergreens and the bare trees with their pop of color.  In spring I look forward to their patient nature while perching on a branch.  I see shades of  different coloring ranging from orange to deep red and wonder if that's due to genetics or maturity or something else?   I will have to learn more!

We live on San Francisco Bay and see so many birds. Hummingbirds regularly visit our garden, and on our walks during sheltering-in-place, we've seen this crane or heron (we're not sure yet; that's why we're taking the course) and these adorable goslings nearly every day.

Hello All, I live in Chilliwack, Canada...I love Bald Eagles but I was always interested in the little ones and this course guide me so well. I must said, the little ones are harder to find but makes the experience much more interesting

I live in the northern part of New Jersey. I never realized how difficult it is to get a bird to stand still! The mourning dove was the only cooperative participant today. I truly admire the Wall at Cornell and hope one day to be able to visit in person.

Hello everyone. I live in Aurora, Co. One of my favorites in my neighborhood is the red-breasted nuthatch. I find their movements along the tree trunks and their nasal vocalizations amusing.  In the past week, I have also seen some Swainson's Hawks soaring above my home, and a Belted Kingfisher fishing in a nearby pond.

I live in Atlanta in an in-town neighborhood with a small park and lots of trees, so we get a nice selection of birds.  I often hear them before I see them, and I find birds' songs very interesting.  I hope to learn to identify by them by song, but this hasn't been easy so far.  It surprises me that quite small birds can make such loud songs!  They tend to fly away before I can get a picture.  Sometimes I think they are teasing me!

This course has given me the inspiration I needed to get out with my binoculars this spring.  I live along the north shore of Lake Superior and the ice has only recently gone out in a nearby bay. American white pelicans have moved into the bay the past few years and I saw my first 8 of the season today.  My favourites this time of year are Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers and Ring-necked ducks.  They are plentiful now and easy to identify.  Am waiting for the return of the Red-winged black bird to a near by pond full of bull rushes.  Am thinking of buying a camera to use birdwatching and would love to get any suggestions.  Don't want to spend more than 6 hundred and need a camera easy to use...don't need all the bells and whistles.. Cheers

I live near the Columbia River in south central Washington where it is a major migratory flyway. Over the late winter and early spring there were literally thousands of American Wigeons, Canada Geese and Mallard ducks on the river.  Now most of them have moved on to their summer grounds. In my backyard I’m enjoying Goldfinches and White Crowned Sparrows with the occasional House Finch thrown in for good measure. Shelled sunflower seeds and a bird bath are the big draws. i enjoyed the first section of the lessons and look forward to learning more.

Hello Fellow Students, I'm enjoying this class very much. I live on the New England coast, south of Boston. Each morning when walking my dog I make mental notes of the birds I encounter. Some I have never seen before, including a Swainson's Thrush, a ruby-crowned kinglet, and Mr and Mrs Turkey (he was huge).  Every year the osprey return to the tall platform to breed, and the Egret's wade around the salt water marshes. Happy birding. Stay safe. Ann 4/28/2020