This bird flew into our window but was ok, I think it is a blue grosbeak. We have seen him multiple times since at our feeder. The next bird I think is a painted bunting, beautiful. A pair showed up at feeder today.

The Wall of Birds is truly a great learning tool and marvellous art.  I find it hard to pick favourites but if I had to I think I would go for the Wandering Albatros. It is large, wonderful to watch fly, born in and fledges from some of the most challenging locations, travels vast distances without landing and is visually appealing. I live on the edge of the bush on the southern outskirts of Sydney Australia. The fires have gone and we are having some nice Autumn weather. There are many parrots in our area and those visiting our yard at the moment include King Parrots, Crimson Rosellas and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos. The George’s River is close and we have Shore Birds in some locations: Bartailed Godwits, Masked Lapwings etc. The largest species of owls in Australia is the Powerful Owl and we are lucky to have them in our bush valleys. My favourite local bird is the Cockatoo. They are very intelligent, great to watch fly and have personality.  

Hello fellow Birders, this is my first comment as I have just started the course, although I have an interest in birds for some time now. I walk most days and am amazed at the variety of species that  I see in my 3 Kilometre venture. Apostle birds are common on my walk, they are from the “ White and Winged Chough” family ( Corcoracide).  Superd Fairy Wren is another, it is one of my favourite little birds, they remind me of my childhood days, they are from the “Maluride” family. I also have lots of Magpies around the house and surrounds, not sure what family they belong to but I love their call in the late evening, they seemed to be calling all their kids to come home before darkness falls. I hope this is what I have to do and that I haven’ t bored the pants off anyone!🙂

I just love turkeys.  I think they are among the most curious of birds that show up in the darnedest places.  My friend got a picture of this one running up the bank drive-thru lane...

Hello fellow Birdwatchers, I am very new to this and the more I learn the more excited I am. This virus life has got me thinking more and more about what to do around the house and near the house and even though I'm not that close to open nature I'm finding some amazing bird life not far from my apartment. I found a nest with at least 3-5 baby house sparrows and even caught a glimpse of the dad sparrow feeding them. There are some amazing pictures on this thread and I wish I could take one of this nest but it is wedged really close to the roofline so there's no way to get a picture without scaring the adult bird away and even then I can't get a good picture over the top of the nest. Anyways, I'm enjoying this course and can't wait to learn more and when this virus is gone can't wait to travel and see things I've only seen in books and online. Stay safe!

I have a pair of nesting robins and I thought the female might have been killed. But I saw them both today! I was happy to know they were safe

I took a biking/birding trip today and saw a few different birds at a marshland in Upstate NY! I saw a few Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets, red-winged blackbirds, European starlings, cardinals common grackles, bluebirds, robins, white throated sparrows, black-capped chickadees, a brilliant turkey vulture, northern shoveler couple, mallard couple, a  ring-necked duck, and a few others. I am falling in love with birding again, and love it.

For the activity in this lesson I saw 3 birds today around my property. From the songbird group I saw a robin. From the raptors group I saw and heard a Broad Winged Hawk. And from the woodpeckers group I saw a Downy Woodpecker.

I have been happy with the birds that have been visiting my feeders. They are actually quite brave as I live on a busy street. But I've been happy to see some House Finches, Gold Finches, Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, and Titmouse. I have also been able to walk in some of the nearby parks and excitedly I saw my first Male Wood Duck. I've often seen the females and the chicks but not the males. I also am lucky to have a bald eagles nest only a few miles from where I live and was able to see this Bald Eagle perching near the river. It really is a perfect time to bird with hardly any leaves out. *Sorry for the through the binoculars photos but that way you can kinda see the birds. 

Three large male Eastern Wild Turkeys strutting in our yard last week. Several females were not far away. We have a very large turkey population near us and have seen up to 8 male Tom turkeys strutting at one time. Northeast Wisconsin.

Activity 2. I captured this bright Eastern blue bird perched in my yard this morning. Since I am working from home now, I am able to see and get some great pictures. The female is also visiting, but she just isn't as photogenic as the male.  From Northeast Wisconsin.

 Hello all from Southwest Florida. This is a picture of a white ibis from our 2nd floor lanai. They sit in this tree at eye level so it is great fun watching them. We are fortunate to see so many birds that I am looking forward to posting pictures of; herons, egrets, Wood storks, hawks, bald eagles, kites, common mud hens and many migratory birds. Thanks to all for posting such lovely pictures from all over.

Also forgot to mention that when they land in my neighbors tree, the fling chunks of bark right off!

This picture isn't the best, but I've been able to find multiple Downy Woodpeckers in my yard over the past month or two. The first time I saw one was a while before I started birding, and it totally took my by surprise. "Wow, a real woodpecker! I thought I'd have to go deep into the mountains to see one!" I love how they creep up the tree. They stay for a while, and when they take off you can see all the spots on the wings!

Activity 1: I found myself first clicking on the birds I already know and like - the Great Blue Heron, Barn Owl, Wood Duck... then i clicked on a few outside of my knowledge - and of course clicked the heart on all! :)  I like raptors and so clicked on the black and white hawk eagle - a type of hawk that I didn't know existed.  It's call was much more high pitched than I expected compared with a bald eagle or hawks that live around here.  I also found the saddle-billed stork interesting  - it is such a large bird and has striking colors on the bill - yellow, orange, and black that are repeated on the legs.  It's very different from the herons and egrets I see here. Activity 2:  The three types of birds I've seen recently that fall into different groups - Eastern Bluebird is a frequent visitor to my backyard and has such a pretty shade of blue. Great blue heron - I saw one flying over the other night on its way to a pond or a nearby lake.  The way it flies with big flaps/ swoops of its wings is so distinctive.  The other bird from a 3rd category is a wood duck.   Their colors are so vibrant and the call different from other ducks.  We have a few that visit nearby ponds. Activity 3:  I have a couple favorite birds.  There are a pair of nesting barn owls and their young living on the balcony outside my bedroom. This is the 2nd spring they have raised their young on our balcony.  It is quite a joy to clean up after they have all left!   The attached picture was one I took last spring. I opened the door quietly and smoothly trying to get a clear picture and not startle it.  As soon as I had my phone up, it cocked its head and looked straight at me.  It certainly made my heart beat up, and i know they can be quite ferocious in protecting their young.  The chicks are quite noisy in the middle of the night while being fed.  Once in a while, one of the adults tries to either perch on the edge of the window in the door or tries to come through the window at me - it flaps its wings and flies "into" the window for several seconds before finding a place to perch. I'm so excited to join this course and learn more!

Activity 1; love the wall, have seen it in person a number of times, but this app lets us see the portraits even better.  Really enjoyed the video of the artist creating the wall. activity 2; at the feeder today,  downy and red-breasted woodpeckers;  blue jays and grackles;  chickadees, titmouse (titmice?), goldfinches. >> REALLY excited — some months ago I couldn’t find a bird I’d seen in the eBird app — one of the eBird staffers even reached out to me about my dicey ID of a grosbeak that wasn’t normal for the area.  In looking for heron shots (activity3), I found a photo of that mysterious bird and have sent it off — hope to get a name for the bird.  Anyone know what it is? Activity 3: favorite bird — our local great blue heron — love seeing it take off and fly away.  Unfortunately saw one swallowing a long plastic landscaping ribbon yesterday. Rather afraid it’s a fatal gesture. Apologies for fuzzy photos.

Frank Lake is nearby my house (south of Calgary, Canada) and hosts thousands of migratory birds through April/May. Alas, is it now closed to people due to COVID, but I think the birds might prefer it that way. And we do benefit from the birds that venture outside the major sloughs. I've seen flocks of 40-50 Trumpeter and Tundra Swans flying north at dawn. The small lake and slough in town are now filling with common mergansers, common goldeneyes, shovelers, mallards, American widgeons and green-winged teals (thanks to the "Where's the White" article for helping me tell them apart), a gadwall and lonely bufflehead, plus a killdeer on the irrigation canal and a beaver in the river (!). There's a great blue heron rookery, so we see those majestic birds out on the hunt in the morning, and the osprey has returned to the nesting platform by the river. Most impressive sights have been the mature bald eagle that was in a nearby three this morning and the Great Grey Owl being harassed by the crows a couple of days ago. I hate that we can't visit the mountains and Frank Lake right now, but it's given me such great perspective on the wealth and diversity that's there if you pay attention. Thanks for this course and the Cornell website for deepening our learning and enjoyment. I've been exploring with my granddaughter during our computer home-schooling, and we've loved it.

I've followed the activity of these fine-feathered friends for some years on our ranch in northwestern Colorado, all without any expertise. So, here I am to learn more. During the pandemic I'm also compiling a bird book of all the birds known to frequent here for my granddaughter, whom I've introduced to birding. She has feeders at her house and uses a toddler pair of binoculars. I voted for the Bohemian Waxwing, a beautiful bird. If we're lucky, we see the Cedar Waxwing. Birds from three different groups include the Mountain Bluebird as a songbird, the Bald Eagle as a raptor, and the Hairy Woodpecker from the woodpecker group. We've seen all three this spring. I'm quite fond of Sandhill Cranes. They've increased in numbers in our valley over the last ten years and I never tire of hearing of their arrival. I may try to send a video of a group gathered in one of our meadows last week. I don't know if videos work or not.

There is a nesting pair of Bewick's wrens who have been building a nest in a nesting box on the wall adjacent to my patio across from my kitchen window.  For a few weeks, I had enjoyed listening to the quick, staccato communication of the pair as they carefully selected nesting materials--gathering bits of fluff and tiny twigs to build their nest.  I like this bird because it keeps its jaunty tail at a 45-degree angle pointed skyward as it hops from the tree to the roof to the fence to the nesting box.  Fearing the pair had abandoned the nest, I grew concerned that I hadn't seen the couple in a week.  This morning--April 23--I heard the female's song, saw her land on the nesting box, and then heard the pipping of chicks from within! On my back patio, early in the morning, a chestnut backed chickadee has been bathing in our bird bath.  Later in the afternoon, dark eyed juncos visit to collect seeds from around the base of plant pots. California towhees frequent the green common areas in the community.  Above the shady sidewalks, I've observed tree swallows with that distinctive boomerang-shape profile, glide wings akimbo between the second story rafters and the trees. A lone red tailed hawk has set up house in a very tall sycamore between our neighborhood and Los Gatos creek.  She has a distinctive call and sometimes visits the redwood behind my back patio. Even in a small townhome community, bird activity is all around!

Activity 1- The Wall of Birds is truly amazing! I loved exploring it and it was interesting to see what birds live in different areas of the world and also birds of the past. I don't think I could choose a favorite but some of the ones I was interested were the wandering albatross, the ornimegalonyx (prehistoric owl), the European bee-eater, and the tawny frogmouth. Activity 2- Woodpeckers: There's a pair of northern flickers nesting in my neighbor's back yard which I also see and hear hammering at old trees along my street. Doves and Pigeons: I see mourning doves frequently in my neighborhood- their song is so common but so beautiful.  Wading birds: A great blue heron flew over my house today. Activity 3- I love seeing barred owls, but I have never seen one in my neighborhood, so I'll have to go with eastern bluebirds. They're so lovely and cute and their arrival means that spring has come.

Ever since the coronavirus situation, we’ve been sticking close to home as much as possible and most of my birdwatching has been from the back porch. I never realized how many bird species we have in the neighborhood, such as Nuttall’s Woodpecker, the California Towhee and Allen’s Hummingbird. I used the iNaturalist and Merlin apps to help identify these birds.

I have a small pond and two creeks that run through my yard.  There's a neighborhood pond about a mile away, so I guess that these three visitors who showed up the other day must have somehow found their way through the adjacent neighborhoods to my yard. There were a pair who seemed to be looking for a nesting place together, and a second male who was apparently trying to horn in on the two lovebirds.

Hello from Lewes, Delaware. I don't have any pics to share from today, but the last few days my backyard has entertained a Brown Thrasher - which is completely not the habitat that the books say they should be in. I am enjoying nonetheless! Like many of you, I really enjoyed the Wall of Birds and the video of the new species of the Bird of Paradise. I look forward to the rest of this course.

Hello from Jacksonville, Florida where our feeders have been visited by Pileated woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers & Red-bellied Woodpeckers; also Carolina Chickadees, cardinals & sweet House Finches.  But the biggest thrill was our sighting of a male Painted Bunting last week!  His orange-red breast was much brighter than the house finches we often see and, as we drew closer to our window, his blue head was unmistakable!  He didn’t stay long enough to get a photo but we got a good look at his yellow-green feathers as he flew off!