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.

I saw a Roadrunner on my walk the other day, I was interested to learn in my reading in this course that the reason they fluff up like this is to warm themselves.

I live in a suburban subdivision west of Phoenix. In my backyard I will often see mourning doves or rock pigeons perched on the wall. I've also encountered woodpeckers pecking at the side of my house. Raptors and Owls are rarer, but still appear (or are heard) from time to time. I am excited to learn more about the birds of my area, as well as all the other fascinating bird species of the world! Here is a family(?) of doves, what appear to be three juveniles and two adults, eating on my patio.

A male American goldfinch above my backyard bird feeder in Maryland.  Like everyone else, they love the sunflower chips.

Wood duck at Beaver Lake in Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada. Stanley Park is an urban park that’s a fabulous place for bird watching. I’m especially happy the days when I spot one of these colorful ducks.

great course! I love the wall of birds, specially those extinct birds in the left of the wall where I confirmed how diverse these animals are even today. I loved so much when I saw the three-wattled bellbird in the wall, because a couple months ago I saw that bird in a beach trip at Isla Colon in Bocas del Toro (Panama) with a group of friends, and that’s probably the moment I thought of birdwatching as a hobby. I bought binoculars and a book of birds around Panama City. My boyfriend and I enjoy it so much. Last week we went to Cerro Ancon for birdwathcing with my brother as well, and we were lucky/surprised because there are a lot of species in such a small piece of nature in the city. The toucan in this picture was one of the wonders we saw that day.

i have a Mexican eagle or cara cara that sits on the high power lines near my neighborhood.  I love their bluish beaks and their majestic posture.  

I wish I were as good at photographing birds as some of you are! I'm amazed at how many different birds we have identified just in our small yard and how much they can change from season to season (yes, even in San Diego, CA, where many people will tell you that we don't really experience seasons!) I've seen hawks, orioles, wrens, warblers, hummingbirds, crows, sparrows, and owls.

1. The interactive wall is amazing. I especially like reading about the extinct birds.  I live in Canada and don't see many birds in my region on the map. 2.      a.) Woodpeckers - we get the Downy, and the Hairy coming to our backyard.  I hang a homemade bird cake in our Schubert Chokecherry tree every winter.  I've only seen the Pileated  Woodpecker in our local Provincial Park. b.) Blue Jays - I hang a peanut ring in the same tree each winter. c.)  Chickadees - Black-capped chickadee.  They are everywhere, summer and winter.  Would the chickadee belong to the subgroup Finches and Buntings OR Tree creepers? Cant say as I have seen them climbing on the trunks of trees.  May have answered my own question. 3.  Chickadees are my favorite.  They seem so happy and cheerful as indicated by their singing.    I do love the Raptors but we don't see them in the winter. These are three birds I see in the winter, along with magpies and Ravens. I live in Vermilion, Alberta Canada.   If I  was taking this course in the summer my answers would have been different.

Hello again, i just posted the cormorants for my activity 2+3… here are two more species I’ve seen recently (to make up three different species) this time in my backyard in Maryland. I must say I am partial to the raptors - so impressive, beautiful and powerful. And the colors of the red bellied woodpecker, such industrious hard workers. N

Hello ,  I saw today in the canals of Phoenix AZ a group of cormorants. From the waterfowl group!. I have seen these birds throughout North America, from way North up in lakes in Northern Quebec to down here in Arizona.  I dont know the data but have read that its population in the continent, particularly around the Great Lakes, is getting out of control and crowding out habitat for other native birds and wildlife. They are reported to cause significant damage to trees and foliage around lakes and they eat up to 1 lb of fish per day, in places threatening habitat for loons and other types of birds.  Is this a climate change survivor/beneficiary? Would love to know what the Lab thinks of this!!  So far enjoying the course.

The Wall of Birds e version is amazing.  I loved that one can find a bird common to his/her region and complete knowledge with even their calling. Great job combining the wall paintings with the electronic version.  The bird pictures in the more detailed sessions also helped me identify a bird that had just popped up in our bird feeder.

I started birding in second grade and then it really started to come together. I joined the Montgomery Bird Club and YMOS. I participated in a WSB and my team got first :). My favorite bird is the pileated woodpecker. I liked that the Bird Wall showed where species can be found.

I've always been in love with crows! Their behavior is FASCINATING and I love seeing how they live side-by-side with us in cities! They also make fantastic photography subjects!   I was also lucky to find this spotted owl in a nearby park!

I grew up looking at birds but not especially studying them. It is interesting in mid-life to expand on the foundation my parents set with me. There are plenty of birds that I would not look at twice as just “regular”, maybe “ugly” birds. But, now I have time and, seeing the same kinds of birds many times in a row, wonder more about them. Last year, I spent half an hour staring at a bird I could see very clearly, going back to the car at least twice to look it up in my Kaufman guide, then, my old Peterson’s guide. It seemed interesting and had lots of markings on it. I was pretty surprised/chagrined when I finally figured out it was the most common bird in North America, the European Starling. That was when I realized that they are no just noisy black birds. In fact, they have many colours and I can see so much more about them, including that they are not just a dull black bird (no such thing!); they have spots and shades of blue, green, depending on the light and time of year.

I enjoyed using the interactive wall of birds. It was an entertaining way to learn about birds in different places far away from my home.  I live near a wooded area and see wild turkeys, many different song birds, and several species of woodpeckers. My favorite is a pileated woodpecker that visits the peanut suet feeder about the same time every afternoon, announcing its arrival by barking and drumming on a nearby tree.

I have been maintaining hummingbird feeders for quite a while now. It is so exciting seeing them interacting with the feeders and hanging out in the area! I also see many other birds visiting the yard.

Activity 1 - wall of birds. I absolutely loved seeing all the different birds from around the world. The albatross is my absolute favorite!

I always thought that woodpeckers were strictly insectivores. We were observing two Pileated Woodpeckers pecking for food in a poplar tree. Suddenly,  the female flew to a Red Osier bush nearby and spent about 5 minutes picking and swallowing the white berries!

I am 10 years old and I have loved starting my first Cornell Lab course.  I'm doing it with my grandmother who lives in South Carolina. We go birding together in the mornings. I can't believe all the birds that live there.  I hope this course helps me identify more birds in Nashville, so I can talk to her about those, too. So far, my favorite bird in Nashville is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird that I saw at Edwin Warner Park.

I went on Road 22, South Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada to familiarize with the area for futur birding trip. I spotted three ducks on the on the river. I thought from the bill lenght and hook that it might be a merganser. But the colour did not match any of what I knew about the Merganser species. I used the Merlin app to get some input. It suggested Hooded Merganser. I then when on All About Birds site to get more information about Hooded Merganser. The bird on this photo looks like a juvenile Hooded Mergenser. Am I correct?