One of favorite birds are the snowy egrets and herons.  I like how they walk in the water looking for fish and frogs.

My favorite bird to watch from our patio is the American Goldfinch  ... they come back every year and grace us with their flying acrobatics and their beautiful colors.  Sadly, I am not able to take photos as I don't have such equipment, but they are a joy to watch.

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• Roseatte Spoonbills are nesting here in St. Marys GA right now. Beautiful Wading Birds.
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• Great Horned Owl posing in St. Marys GA
• And my favorite from the Wall of Birds, the American White Pelican. Amazing because it lives in two very different habitats - here in St. Marys Ga in the winter, and in Canadian and mid-west US lakes in the summer.  They work together to herd fish and then scoop rather than dive on them like other Pelicans.

I am enjoying the course.  I just retired and have not had the time I would like to have to learn more so I am starting with this class.  I want to be a photographer of birds and have taken many pictures of birds but I have a long way to go.  I was driving home from a hike not far from my home in Wayne, PA and saw two black vultures just having a meal!  I have never seen vultures in such an urban area before.  I saw what I think was a swallow on a hike this weekend but did not have my camera so I will go back and get a picture to help me narrow down the bird.  Ususally they are flying so fast it is hard to get them in focus.  This place had nesting boxes and they were perched so I think I will be able to get a picture.  I do have lots of visitors to my feeders and this week the cardinals, downey woodpecker and the Red-winged blackbirds have been busy.

I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts in a pretty densely populated area and most of the birds I see are the very common sparrows and such but I am hoping to spot something interesting to post here. I have been enjoying the lovely little song of the Song Sparrow perched the shrubs along the Charles River where I walk often.

Sandhill Cranes are common here in Winter. Greetings from Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

The Wall of Birds is aninteresting graphic learning experience. I particularly liked exploring the fossil record birds depicted along the lower margin. I may not remember the names after one or two visits, but more visits willl help to solidify my knowledge. I like being able to click on teh bird and use the popup description. The species living today have a sound recording, which is helpbul. i appreciated seeing the river pelican depicted, since they are a winter visiter here in Chattanooga, TN. For birds in my neightborhood, I would include the little Screech Owl, though they are quiet right now. In past years i have heard them frequently and seen them ocasionally. Trips to nearby marshes yield frequent views of Great Blue herons, as well as ocasional Great Egrets and Green Herons. Mockingbirds are common and they are a symbol of the State of Tennessee.

I have been worried about the decreasing number of birds at our feeders. So I bought more feeders and spaced them out on our property. This spring a group or small flock of Red-wing Black Birds found us and decided to stay. I have seen them fly after the Red tailed hawks and chase them away. We seem to have a lot of male birds but I have not seen any females, is it possible they are already on nests? I love the beautiful wild birds but I am very ignorant on their songs so I am taking this class and hope to improve. I will try to get some photos.

Greetings from North India! I have always been fascinated with these beautiful creatures we are surrounded with and living in an area which has seen some really harsh changes in its atmosphere (pollution in every direction) led most of the birds to leave their habitats thus leaving our surroundings silent. To have a glimpse of these visitors from different areas around the globe I had to make my way towards the outskirts into the vast green man made vegetation we are fortunately surrounded with, were the birds still make their visits and are abundant if we have a broad and a close vision. But during this period of global lockdown which has led most of us to stay in our shelters has given nature a wonderful time to revive itself and it has certainly shown us some of the remarkable positive changes in way too less time and my neighborhood is again filled with the day long chirps of these beautiful birds. some of which have been shown under: a) Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima malabarica)

This week I have seen a bald eagle, a chickadee (a songbird?) and a robin. I am not sure what group the robin belongs to? I have also see trumpeter swans and geese as our community hosts a bird sanctuary by and in the river. I am loving learning more as my bird knowledge is very limited!!!

I feel so bless to live in Michigan where a person is only a few short miles from a source of water.  I live only five miles from Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge where 1,000's of birds will migrate to and from this area. The sound of Canadian Geeses is almost deafening.  I was exploring this week-end to start to work on the first lesson. I felt I was really 'seeing' birds for the first time. Although I have been watching back yard birds since childhood. In a very small area along the Saginaw River marsh land, I saw Bufflehead Ducks, Great Egret, Eagle standing on his nest, heron, Mallard Ducks, Northern Shoveler (duck), Tree Shallows, a lone Tundra Swan, and 2 families of Canadian Geese they each had 7 goslings--- and yes! they do follow in a row. I took the time to watch the behaviors of these different groups of birds. This has been such a difficult time for all of us. After my day exploring I felt a true since of calm and joy. I took the time to 'see'. I can't wait to start lesson #2.

I discovered a Coopers Hawk in my backyard.  It was high up in the trees.  I used bird Id app on my phone.  I was able to read about it in my field guide.  I didn't know I had hawks.

I was lucky to be raised in an era when there were only 2 TV channels and have always loved an adventure. My grandma was a bird lover. I always enjoyed them but never had the time to learn the diversity of looks, sounds, behaviour! OMG! In the past year and a half I have been exploring new marshes, mountains and trails. I gasped the first time I saw a Great Blue Heron. Wood ducks are so beautifully colored. A few weeks ago I saw a group of hybrids; didn't know they existed. There are so many birders in British Columbia. I am drawn to the herons and the cute little ones, like the nuthatch. 

I love to watch the different woodpeckers come to feed on the suet in my yard.  One time, I saw three species at once: Downy, Hairy, and  Red-bellied. This morning I heard a Mourning Dove. Once, an immature Great Blue Heron flew onto the roof of my RV in my driveway.  

I am totally amazed at the stunning beauty of birds as depicted on the Wall of Birds! We spend winters in Tucson, AZ and the rest of the year in Northern Minnesota. In Tucson, I watch diligently for one of my favorites, the roadrunner.  In the last few years it has been difficult to spot one. However, this year it is a frequent site to see our neighborhood  roadrunner whizzing across the street. When I listened to the call of the loon on the wall of birds, I got a bit homesick for our home in Minnesota. It is so beautiful.

Hearing the calls of the mourning dove during this first lesson brought back memories of my childhood home. :)

Dear all, I am currently living in Suriname and I have observed beautiful and various sorts of usually small birds. Does anyone has more insights on bird life in Suriname? Thank you, Reinoud

I am new to bird watching but always enjoyed sitting outside or looking out my window at all the different birds that come to my small lot in Milwaukee, WI and try to identify what kind of birds are in my yard. The group that is most prevalent in my yard is the song birds. But, I also have a raptor, morning doves and hummingbirds.  I have to say the hummingbird is my favorite bird. I could sit and watch them all day. Today I seen a small bird with a red crown hopping in the canopy of the Cornelian Dogwoods which are in full bloom now. I have identified it as a red-crowned kinglet.  I do have a lot of birds that migrate through.  I maintain my yard as naturally as city ordinance allows.  I leave the leaves in the flower beds and I have many layers of woody plants(trees, shrubs and ground cover) and evergreens.  I provid different varieties of food for them and water. During the growing season, I plant flowers specifically for hummingbirds and monarchs. I look forward to learn more about birdwatching and identification, especially by song. There are many times I do not see the bird but hear their beautiful melody.

Purple Martin- Croton Point Park, Westchester, NY

I already answered but now I can present the photos. In the mean time I discovered 2 birds that I like.   Can you please help me identify them?   Thank you, Andrei

I very much enjoyed the first session of this course. I have watched birds for many years, but certainly I am not well informed. This Ruffed Grouse became part of our family in Western New York 2 years ago.

I have a lovely path near my home that I can walk to in 7 minutes or so (I live in western Massachusetts).  It is a raised path between two wetland, swampy areas so there are always birds to be heard and seen.  Yesterday I saw a very small bird that I didn't recognize.  It jumped along the ground and in bushes near me for quite a while, as I stood.  I was able to observe the beak, which was thin and a bit long, but not curved at all.  I had been thinking that maybe it was a Carolina Wren but the beak was not right for that.  When I got home, I looked in my bird app and it may have been a Ruby-crowned kinglet.  Maybe...

1) Songbirds- what’s not to love? I live in Redlands, So Cal, near an Oak Grove, in a neighborhood with various mature trees and native chaparral hills. My days are beautified by birdsong, and I don’t know who is singing. I voted for the Carolina Wren because it represented the Wren family, but I love the sparrows and warblers, too. I appreciate that the Wall of Birds and the Merlin app have sound/song clips. On the Wall I also explored shore birds (sandpipers), seabirds (pelican), owls, raptors and the barn swallow- I almost voted for it. 2/3) Today I saw a yellow-green finch like bird, a few hummers (one is greenish, another brown and white), and a soaring swift or swallow type bird. And I heard a symphony of sweet song, as well as a distant crow and a nearby falcon. I’m a novice identifier, but a lifelong bird lover.

On the Wall of Birds - I liked the Iwii in Hawaii - it is an impressive bird with bright orange/red plumes that were prized by ancient Hawaiians. I am fascinated by the indigenous species in Hawai'i like the Iwii that are believed to have descended from the same species of birds that branched out to an amazing array of species of birds that took on very unique features of unrelated species.  I also voted for the Wood Duck, such a beautiful bird. It was very windy where I live yesterday and very few birds out and about. I did see what I was sure was a raptor at a distance that I could not identify in a nearby park. Very white belly and underwings. Just before I got back to the car two of them flew overhead and landed on a light pole. Two Osprey!

A male and female cardinal from my backyard in the suburbs of Minneapolis.