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!

I'm very pleased with the course so far - I've been wondering about a specific bird that has been at my feeder the last week and after downloading the free app recommended I was able to quickly determine that it is a tufted titmouse!  I'm in upstate New York and have a pair of cardinals that visit our feeders every day.  There's a solo male that shows up while they're there and the males puff their feathers until one gives up and flies away.  I think I watched the bird of paradise video three times - so fascinating!  Excited to learn more!

My favorite local bird is the Eastern Bluebird.  It is so nice to see them back and nesting; I have 4 eggs in one box and I saw another few eggs in a box in a local park.

Northern Cardinal - I've been told that the cardinal that we have in our Sonoran Desert is a bit different (more red and maybe smaller) than the version found in eastern US.  Is it a subspecies?

The Wall is incredible!  I particularly found the birds that showed extinct most interesting. My hope is that more drawings like these don't appear. Many thanks to the artist for this work.

Outside my kitchen window (in Northern California), I have a birdfeeder which attracts different types of songbirds: sparrows, finches: house finch & lesser goldfinches, and a tree creeper: the red-breasted nuthatch. I also see house wrens and oak titmice and wonder which category(ies) of songbird these would fall under?

In have always been intrigued with our feathered friends. I am happy to have discovered this course and am learning so much! Birds are Cool added a wow factor for me. For example, who knew there was a bird called the black-footed albatross that spends years flying above the ocean without touching down for possibly 5 years? Equally fascinating, is the idea that one side of the brain of the Common Swift might sleep so that the other side of the brain allows the bird to maintain its flight throughout the night. Of course the video on the new species of Bird of Paradise was entertaining. I think categorizing birds into subsets will help me to identify more quickly and accurately. My three birds are from sightings from my backyard near the north shore of Lake Erie. My first bird is a tree creeper. A white-breasted nuthatch. I knew it was a nuthatch but not distinctly a white-breasted. The second bird is a Carolina wren. I have sometimes confused it with a Sparrow but the distinct tipping upward of the tail is the give away. My last entry is a pair of pileated woodpeckers. Not difficult to identify but thrilling to see and hear.

On the Wall of Birds I enjoyed clicking around the whole world but was especially looking for the Hummingbirds - I am enthralled by them & would love to see (in person) varieties other than the one that is in our area (Ruby Throated).  I have my feeder up but haven't seen one yet this year - they are a frequent summer visitor to our porch & garden. I recently hung a goldfinch feeder & they are now dominating the bird area - sometimes 5 or 6 are on it at a time.  Their cheery yellow bodies are a welcome sight on dreary days.  My other favorites are the peanut loving Blue Jays, the loud & musical Carolina Wrens and of course the lovely red Cardinals.  I enjoy sitting on my porch to start the day & see who is hanging out in the trees, as well as viewing the feeder outside my kitchen door.

We are lucky to live in an area where we see lots of birds! Sandhill cranes are so much fun to see! This year we were lucky to have cardinals and bluebirds nesting. Liz Summerfield, FL

I played around with the bird wall a lot over the last couple of days and will continue to explore. We have had a hopper feeder in the yard for a couple of years now and have enjoyed a variety of birds that visit. My favorites are the red headed woodpecker and of course the cardinals. Just last week we put up a goldfinch feeder and it only took four days for a pair to find it. I don't think I've seen a goldfinch three times in the 19 years we've been in this house, now I see two to three of them several times every day. Looking forward to learning more! Sandy, Burlington, MA

Hi, I am a very new bird watcher.  I'm very much enjoying this course and seeing all of your comments and pictures of beautiful birds.  (Some of you much be professional photographers!  Such good pics!)  Activity 1- A fav on the Wall of Birds is the Northern Cardinal.  I grew up with these pretty vibrant birds and it is one of the few birds that I can recognize their call.  They were also my mom's favorite so that makes me nostalgic!  Activity 2- Outside out house we have Barn Swallows (songbirds-great fliers), a solitary Great Blue Heron (wading birds) and lots of hummingbirds which I think are ruby throated (hummingbirds group).  Activity 3- one favorite bird in the great horned owl.  We found an injured one in our backyard who had been shot in the wing. We were able to get him to a rehab place and he eventually flew away back into the wild.  So happy for him!   f

Near my house there are some Yellow - headed Caracara...  here is a picture from de field guide (I left my camera at my office)  We are in quarantine.

Hello. I’m Fer from Panama City, Panamá. I’ve downloaded de  e-bird app. It’s really nice. here is a list of what I’ve seen.