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. 

Great to get started in the course. My office is set up with a feeder directly outside my window providing non stop opportunities for identification and practical application of the content. While I was viewing the lesson this morning, I noticed a familiar pile of feathers in the yard. My guess is that a Coopers Hawk or Sharp shinned Hawk had breakfast earlier today. I look forward to the continuation of the course. Many thanks, Bob

Greetings from coastal Georgia! This is just a photo from my phone, but this little girl is at our hummingbird feeder almost constantly. I've seen a male ruby-throat a few times in the past week or so, but this particular feeder is definitely hers! We also get A LOT of cardinals in our backyard, and we have a couple of resident woodpeckers (pileated and downy) too! I am starting to see my Carolina Chickadees a bit more...they seem to be getting a later start here in my backyard than last year, but I have my eyes peeled. Loving everyone's photos!

Greetings, I began this class yesterday, and look forward to continuing on and perusing these discussions and the pictures you post. I am very much a beginner, and - on Cape Cod in MA, USA - glad to have lovely spots to watch for and watch various shore birds, aside from "backyard" birding. This morning was happy to catch sight of two bald eagles soaring above the osprey I had in my binocular's sights ... and a couple of snowy egrets. My friend so a common loon, but not me. She said we saw 10 species this am, but I'll need her to list the others for me (which duck, which goose, what else). - Vicki G. (I think I need to go back and see were to tag with name)

Taking pictures of birds is really hard!  As a person who loves to take pictures of flowers... at least they stay still!  That said this morning I saw a blue jay (and there are lots in my neighborhood), as well as a bird I've never noticed before.  It was small, an bright yellow, sort squat/fat the way some sparrows are when 'sitting up'.  I think it might be a yellow goldfinch but there are screens on my window making it even harder to see. The bird was in a river birch.  We have lots of songbirds in my neighborhood and I gather a wide variety of sparrows (took a walk with ebird the other day and realized there were many types of sparrows out there). As and aside I'll say, that while I've always noticed birds it wasn't until I went on a trip to Costa Rica with folks were were knowledgeable and birders that I became excited to try and learn how to do this better (including finding the birds with my binoculars before they fly away!).  Very much looking forward to this class.

Saw a pair of breeding American Goldfinches this morning at the feeder! So cute!

Hi, I'm a new birder. I've always loved being outdoors and exploring nature, but I only started observing birds on  my walks very recently, and I'm really enjoying it. Activity 2: on my walks recently, I've come across Great Blue Herons from the wading birds category, Song Sparrows from the songbirds category, and Ring-Billed Gulls from the seabirds category. Activity 3: so far, I think my favorite bird from my area is the Cooper's Hawk. I've seen a few of these in recent days. There is an area near my home with large nests in big trees where I frequently see hawks, including this one. Highlight was seeing two Cooper's Hawks mating in a tree! I love coming across them because they are rare to see and so striking in their poise and their grand soars. (My photo isn't very good -- just from a smartphone.)

Hi I live on the Gold Coast in Australia , this bird is a black necked stork always great to see this bird it stands over 2 meters tall and has a massive bill and looks amazing.

Hi! I'm a new birder! Excited for this course! Since I began birdwatching, I've noticed so many more species in my urban neighborhood than I ever expected. It is so fun. Activity 1: I saw a Shoebill online recently, and I'm obsessed. I love huge weirdo birds. I immediately sought it out on the Wall of Birds! Activity 2: Pigeons and Doves group: there are tons of pigeons living very close to my house, and Mourning Doves can frequently be heard. Blackbirds group: Spotted a Grackle party in a tree. Raptors group: Saw my first Cooper's Hawk this week! Activity 3: My favorite neighborhood birds are the pairs of Northern Cardinals that hang out and chase each other around near my building. The females are often described as "plainer" but I love the nuances in their coloration. Theirs is among the first bird songs I ever learned to identify.

Activity 1- I enjoyed exploring the wall of birds. A number of favorites are ones we see at  Lake of the Woods, and I so hope we can travel there this summer. Those are Great Blue Heron, Pelicans, Bald Eagles and Loons. I love the loons song at nite. Activity 2 - I am envious of all the birds in some peoples yards. So far I have seen Songbirds - lots of Juncos at our feeder. I am waiting for the American Goldfinch to arrive. Bluejays have been around all winter.  I have seen lots of Raptors on drives  through the Pembina Valley as their numbers are increasing now, lots of Red Tailed Hawks ( picture attached). Another Raptor I saw that was so beautiful was the American Kestral.   We have also seen swimming birds- a number of Mallard pairs on our drives. Activity 3 - one of my favourite birds we saw on a walk this evening in a creek at a local park. They come back every year. Luckily I took my binoculars with me. It was a male and female Wood Duck. Attached is a picture from another year.