Activity 3, a favorite bird that I see (and photographed) that I see in my neighborhood - Cedar Waxwings. They are incredibly beautiful to me and are sneaky as they go about their foraging activities. I'm always excited to see them since they never come to feeders and you have to find them. Extraordinary-looking birds indeed.

For Activity 1, I'd have to say that the Albatross, of the Oceanic Birds, was the most impressive as I've observed them while at sea. I had no idea that they would or could go for 5 or more years without touching land. Their ability to drink seawater by using its salt glands to discharge salt really impressed me also. For Activity 2, very easy for me here as we have so many groups represented right here on my rural property. I've photographed more than I can recall. We also raised ratites. So, photos - First would be Anatidae In this case, the male wood duck that I photographed right here on our pond. The next group would be - Columbidae A mourning dove. Third would be... Trochilidae Male Ruby-throated hummingbird  

Activity 1 I looked at several birds on the wall of birds. The one that caught my attention is the Red-legged Seriema, Cariama cristata. I found it interesting and a little challenging to group. After reading several articles and looking at pictures, I believe it would be in the "chicken like birds" group. I don't have a favorite bird. I find them all interesting.

Activity 1: After exploring the Wall of Birds, something I'd like to see in-person, one of my favorites is the Blue-footed Booby. Call me immature, but the name alone still gives me a chuckle even at 30 years of age. I cannot imagine a more fitting bird for the Galapagos Islands than the Blue-footed Booby. For such unique beautiful birds, their calls are less than desirable. It was interesting to learn that since males and females look incredible similar, both with bright blue coloring whereas normally females are always drab, you can tell the female from the male by their star-shaped pupils. I did not see this bird on the Wall of Birds (unless I overlooked it), but another one of my favorites is by far the Paradise Bird. The shape they take on when dancing around to impress females is so unique - with their solid black coloring and bright bits of blue coloring coming through. Their dancing rituals puts even the most trained dancer to shame - I have never watched a Paradise Bird dance video that did not bring an instant smile and chuckle. Activity 2: There are three main bird groups I spot in my backyard: sparrows, woodpeckers, and tree creepers. It is not uncommon to talk outside and see a dozen or more Song Sparrows at any given time. I haven't seen any House Sparrows in my backyard, but I have spotted them outside more downtown on the sidewalks outside of businesses. As for the woodpeckers, my most frequent visitors are a male and female Downy. Often times they are both going to town on one particular pine tree, but they also seems to very much enjoy the suet cakes I put out. I have seen one Hairy male woodpecker as well as a Red-bellied woodpecker. Neither the Hairy nor the Red-bellied seem to stick around whenever I come outside. My favorite tree creeper I have is a Red-breasted Nuthatch. There is only one, whereas there are multiple White-breasted Nuthatches that visit. The little Red-breasted one is very friendly - like will sit on the feeder as I'm filling it up watching me and has even landed in my hand before to take unshelled peanuts. Activity 3: For me it is so hard to pick a true favorite. I feel each bird has it's own personality and it is such a joy to be able to watch them daily and see how they interact with each other. As mentioned, above I have a Red-breasted Nuthatch that visits daily and she is one of my favorites. She along with a Carolina Wren have such larger than life personalities and have absolutely no issue with making noise and messes until I fill up their feeders. I just recently spotted, for the first time, a Yellow-rumped Warbler. My Merlin app had been picking up his sound for a while, but I wasn't able to ever physically ID him until recently. He is my first Warbler so I am quite found of him. The Blue Jays, while incredibly loud, are a site to see - their coloring is just downright beautiful.

Activity 3 - Meet Edgar one of three crows that visits my yard. I find crows so inquisitve and interesting.  There are 3 that visit each day (Edgar, Allena and Poe) that have my routine down pat and show up as soon as let my dog out.   I usually put out peanuts or dry cat food for them and I watch them review their surroundings before taking turns to pick up the food.  The other day, the ruckus they were making along with the other birds led me to think there might be a predator in the yard.  Sure enough, when I went out to check, I found a cat lurking under my car. The other day when I was at my desk in my bedroom, I looked up to see them on the hydro wire in my backyard watching me through my window!!!  I got up, grabbed some food and headed out.  They had moved to the tree to await my arrival.  I was thinking I could maybe train them, but now I'm thinking that they got me tained. Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

Activity 2 - Tree Creepers - Red Breasted Nuthatch as seen from my livingroom window. I love these guys and their cousins White Breasted Nuthatch.  Just watching them moved around my tree and feeders puts a smile on my face and they are one of the first birds I hear each day!

  Any7 Activity 2 - Water bird - a beautiful showing of a Wood Duck as my first viewing while on vacation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  I had always heard tell of them and their beauty and was once again, excited to actually see this bird.

    Activity 2. From the Woodpecker Group - Here is a picture of a Red Bellied Woodpecker as taken from my living room window.  I usually have a Downy and a Hairy visiting my suet.  This bird's visity sure made me happy.  Peterborough, Ontario, Canada    

Activity 3: I have a few favorite birds that I see in my neighborhood, depending on the time of year. I live in Chicago, and we get some ruby throated hummingbirds in the warmer months. In the cold months I watch coopers and re-tailed hawks hunt and catch squirrels and pigeons.

Activity #1:  When I was a child, we would vacation on a small lake in New Hampshire, and I will never forget the haunting and beautiful calls of the Common Loons across the still water before anyone or anything was awake.  Anyone who has ever heard it knows it is an unforgettable experience. Activity #2 and #3:    I am participating in Project Feeder Watch and have the pleasure of seeing and reporting so many birds this winter, just outside my kitchen window at the feeders:  Blue Jays,  Cardinals, Chickadees (my personal favorite, for their spunky and brave personalities, and adorable and tiny look),  Red and White Breasted Nuthatches, Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers,  Sparrows (usually White Throated or House Sparrows), and Mourning Doves.  In the finch category, I have even seen a few Evening Grosbeaks this year!

The Prothonotary Warbler was my favorite bird on the Wall of Birds. It lives in New England and its named after the bright yellow robes of papal clerks (prothonotaries) in the Roman Catholic Church. I like it's colors and its pastoral song.

I love Great Blue Herons.  I love how graceful they are in flight, with their long legs trailing them.  I love their grating squawk, which makes it easy to see a bird/dinosaur connection.  I love their ability to stand still and observe — something I could definitely work on.  Although I usually see them “at work” in the water, on two occasions recently, I saw one “at rest.”  The second picture, where the bird looks hunkered down, well, it probably was because it was a miserable day, cold, overcast, and bone-chillingly humid.  

My favourite bird from the wall of birds was cormorant, just because we saw a group of them bickering when hiking in Belgium a few weeks ago. They were very striking in terms of their size and communication high up on trees. There was definitely some kind of bickering going on! My favourite bird from my neighbourhood is goldfinch. They are part of the finch family (Fringillidae Family). Hopefully, they come back before not too long, after spending winter in Spain or somewhere warm.

Ironically, I've just spent the morning journaling and sketching the birds on my deck. So far, a single white-breasted nuthatch, a pair of dark-eyed juncos - which I just learned in the previous lesson are actually sparrows - three types of woodpeckers (Hairy, Downy (I think), and Red-Bellied), and a pair of cardinals - which I just learned in the previous lessons are finches! What an exciting morning :D

My favorite from the Wall of Birds - Great Blue Heron. We will see them in NH in the warmer weather. They are truly spectacular! Their nests are huge, too. I am also a fan of woodpeckers, especially the pileated woodpeckers. We have them in my backyard in NH. They are amazing to watch

I am really enjoying this course so far, and am wowed by all the backyard birds people are sharing - fun to see so many birds I don't see (or for some, just haven't noticed yet!) where I live. I went for a walk with my new binoculars last weekend and saw these visiting long-tailed ducks. I ended up using iNaturalist to confirm the ID; Merlin couldn't place them despite some good sound recordings, maybe because they are not usually found in this area? They had beautiful long tails - a treat to see!

I bought a pair of lightweight binoculars last year, and it has been thrilling for me to discover how beautiful birds are when I can see them in the detail the binoculars provide. I bought a pair for one of my daughters for her birthday, and I am happy to have her as a birding buddy! This first week of the new year, I downloaded the Merlin app and had fun with it, and I ended up going on a birding walk almost every day and identifying some birds. I feel like a "bird nerd," now, and I am happy with that! I have been happy to discover so many different kinds of ducks - favorite of the week - Hooded Merganser. I also never knew how pretty sparrows are. I enjoyed spotting them in the scrubby, brush areas . Two other new birds for me to discover this week were the Spotted Towhee and Townsend's Solitaire.

It's cold and snowy here in Minnesota at present, and so I find myself wondering about what birds live north of here. Snow Buntings are apparently the most northerly passerine in the world.

Today on my daily walk I saw a black capped chickadee of the songbird group, a cormorant of the seabird group, and a downy woodpecker of the woodpecker group. Really nice to be able to categorize these birds even if I don’t have the taxonomical knowledge of bird families and orders.   I found it interesting that brown creepers and nut hatches are in their own group, as I see both regularly. That must be one of these categorizations with the fewest members.

Have been feeding hummingbirds for several years and recently decided to put up bird feeders, to get me through the winter months when the hummingbirds are away. Have enjoyed it so much that I plan on keeping up feeders year around. Watching birds is so relaxing and brings me so much joy. Am so happy I found Bird Academy so I can learn more about my feathered friends.

• These images were taken in Punta Gorda, Fla., during my recent visit there. This pair of Sandhill Cranes were in my daughter's backyard. The other is an unknown bird, but someone here surely will identify it. It was near Fisherman's Village on the waterfront in Punta Gorda.
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These are two birds at my feeder after a big snow this morning.  As far as I can tell we have sparrows, finches, doves, and juncos.  Here are two pictures taken with my iphone via new monarch binoculars I got for Christmas.

I've been interested in birds for a few years now, photographing birds at my feeders and in local parks, and always participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count.  I'm interested in learning more about the science of birds and tips for more adventurous birding. This past week was especially cold and we had different birds at the feeder, including the pictured Yellow-rumped Warbler and other winter birds.

I am brand new to bird watching. I have a feeder about 10 feet away from my couch, through a glass door. I can watch birds with binoculars. It's great.   I have a pinecone stuffed with peanut butter and black oil sunflower seeds hanging on the railing of my porch that i can see. Also a block of suet in a holder.   Small gray birds come in groups of 10-12 or more to feed on the pinecone. They seem to love peanut butter.   I see other kinds of birds sometimes. One with a bright yellow helmet and chest. Wow! Today I saw a woodpecker pecking at the suet. I looked him up in a guide.   Other birds seem nondescript. Beige chests and gray feathers. Short beaks.   Any suggestions for me?

These are a few of the birds I see in my neighborhood. My favorite is the white throated sparrow. I love the splash of yellow near the eyes. We are fortunate to have a few resident raptors though I can not tell the different between a red shouldered hawk and a red tail hawk but that's a different course. My latest fascination is with Northern flickers. You can't see it in the image provided but they have stunning yellow feathers under their tails.