Activity 1: I'm somewhat of a latecomer to birding, but the more I learn, the more awestruck I am. They're so beautiful to look at and listen to. The plethora of bird species reminds me of how there's room in this world for so much diversity and so many niches. This thought makes me feel more connected to nature, both nonhuman and human. Activity 2: I don't own a cat, but if I did, I absolutely would not let it roam freely outside. I don't drink coffee, but it was good to learn about shade-grown coffee as beneficial to birds—now I'll keep that in mind if I ever give it as a gift. I'm striving to reduce my use of plastics, opting for companies that use other materials for packaging. I don't use pesticides in my small vegetable plot in my communal garden, and one day when I might have a yard or garden of my own, I'm going to eschew turf for some native plants. Finally, now that I'm feeling more comfortable with eBird, I'm going to use it more often to add my observations to the gestalt of citizen science. Activity 4: I'm inspired to go on more organized boardwalks with my local Audubon chapter, and I'm eager to learn more from other Cornell Lab of Ornithology courses.

birds for me are a way to connect with nature and my own culture, I love to learn about them and I have found it to be a growing experience whenever I get to spend time with them or learn about them.  Some of the things I am already doing is setting up bird habitat that is mostly bird houses and a few trees as well!  As for the next step in my birdwatching I think I want to learn more about my local birds as well as the ecosystem they inhabit so that I can add to it in a way that is both healthy for the birds but also healthy for the ecosystem in general.  I hope to spread my knowledge with my community some day as well once I have learned enough that I feel i can add to someones understanding.

Birds matter to me as an escape from the world. The noise of humans seems a constant burden, but the song of birds a constant gift; perhaps simply for the latter's unquestionable beauty. Words are common compared to the elegance of song, and perhaps this spring from my purpose of becoming a singer. After all--I was taught by the best: Birds. 

Activity 1: Birds matter to me because they are relatively easy to observe and deeply fascinating: behavioral adaptations, extreme physiological features, evolutionary history, migratory journeys, and so on. Observing them is the basis of what is probably my strongest connection to the natural world, as I cannot regularly access wild areas. Finally, they are important symbols of the places that have been significant in my life. Activity 2: I purchase some bird-friendly coffee for myself, I participate in citizen science with my eBird checklists, and I do avoid using disposable plastics when possible. When I have a garden at some point in the future, I plan to include native plants. I could probably do more to reduce the amount of trash I generate, and I could purchase exclusively bird-friendly coffee. I hope it will get easier in the future as the farming practices become more standard and widespread globally. Activity 3: I have only been observing birds carefully for about 5 years, so while I have noticed significant variation in the numbers of migrants of different species in different years, I don't have enough personal observations to feel confident about overall trends. I do think that the population of Canada geese in the neighborhood has grown over time, however. Activity 4: While I am interested in learning all sorts of information about birds, I am particularly interested in understanding and observing the behavior of birds at the ecosystem level. I would like to spend more time watching communities of birds: behavior at different times of day, composition at different times of year, and so on. I would also appreciate opportunities to observe birds which represent interesting branches of the evolutionary history of the entire class. What next steps do you want to take in your birdwatching journey? Has this course inspired you to try anything new or make any changes in your life? Share in the discussion.

Activity 2/Activity4: We have a cat that is kept indoors. We are planting an native plant garden. I am learning how to be a citizen scientist with eBird. As a result of this course, I have downloaded the eBird course so that I can use this app more effectively. I want to help scientists protect and conserve our feathered friends by providing accurate data about the birds in my neighborhood and other places that I visit.

Activity 1 -  As I have grown up as a young girl and adult, there is the symphony of sounds from birds in the environments I have lived and important to me. Activity 2 -  Most of the "seven actions" I practice but the coffee use for birds is a new action. Activity 3 -  I was aware of the Endangered Species Act and do check for endangered birds. Activity 4 -  This course has given me options for learning more about birds and looking at other courses. Ruth Bates

I grew up in Massachusetts with my father being employed by MassWildlife for 40 years.  I’ve always been interested in the natural world and always curious about birds, but never really had the time to explore them more deeply until now.  I have been doing birding with Massachusetts Audubon and joined Project Feeder Watch last winter.  I have been amazed and fascinated at how much I have learned already by doing those two simple things and by taking this course. I plant to utilize e bird going forward.  Admittedly, I was a little intimidated by it at first, but watching the segment in this course has made me realize how simple or involved it can really be.  Nest Watch also interests me, as we have blue bird boxes that are variously occupied by blue birds, tree swallows and house sparrows at different times. Happily, I have observed blue bird populations increase in my local area over my life time.  As have northern cardinals.  When I was a child in the 1970’s, they were a rarity.  This past winter I counted 12 at a time at my feeder on many occasions!  And thanks to the efforts of my father and his coworkers during the early 70’s, wild turkeys have gone from extremely rare here, to commonplace! Of the 7 Actions I could do to protect birds, I currently do most of them, but did not realize coffee growing methods were an issue and will try to do better there!  And as above, I plan to increase my citizen scientist participation.  I hope to learn enough about birding to begin volunteering to lead bird and other nature walks myself at my local Audubon sanctuary in future.

Activity 4: I want to start tracking the birds that I see. I plan to use the ebird app.  I hope to take part in the Christmas Bird Count this year.  This course has inspired me to take additional courses, get my binoculars out more often and to listen with intent to learn the bird sounds in my area so I know who is nearby.  I have always enjoyed birds but now I want to KNOW them better. Thank you.

Activity 3:  I am noticing that we have some Eagles nesting in our part of Southern Ohio now. For years we did not see any at all so that is a good sign.  A few years ago I heard that the bluebirds were scarce and we were asked to help.  Several people (myself included) have put up nesting boxes to lure them back and give them a safe place to raise their young. Of course, sometimes other birds use the boxes but that is ok too.    Below  is a picture of one of the 20 nesting boxes recently installed at our local lake / State park that we often visit.  I will be checking these for nest activity this spring and summer.

Activity 2:  I do try to plant native plants and I hang suncatchers on my large windows to help birds realize it is a window and not a space for flying.  I plan to read the other tips mentioned for window safety.  I do not use pesticides.  I will try to reduce my use of plastic and I did not even know about seeking out shade grown coffee. I will put that on my list to research as well.  So much to learn yet it is good to know that small changes can have an impact if we all do our part.  

Activity 1:  I love to watch birds. I find it relaxing to sit and listen to their calls and songs.  I appreciate those who eat bugs (especially mosquitos) and those who drop seeds or pollinate flowers.  We have a lot of Turkey Vultures around and I always found them ugly and did not like seeing them attack road kill. However, I had not thought of what a good job they were doing to clean up the environment and keep germs away from other species and humans. I was interested to learn about all the good they do and I will look upon them more fondly in the future.

Activity 3:  I have been lucky enough to see Bald Eagles occasionally now, while never having had that opportunity when I was growing up. That is always a stop, take notice and enjoy moment.  As far as the reduction in everyday birds, I hadn't really noticed.   My feeder still gets used, and I hear lots of birds singing, but was distressed to learn of the drop in numbers. Activity 4:  I plan on continuing watching birds and increasing my Life list.  When I go on trips, I always try to spend some time birdwatching to see new bird species.  I have signed up to take The Nature Journaling and Field Sketching Course to add another dimension to my Bird Watching.

Activity 2:  I didn'teven realize that there was bird friendly coffee.  I will be taking a look in the grocery stores to see what is available.  We have been recycling for years and are careful to never leave any trash anywhere but a trashcan.  I do have a few windows that could probably be made safer for birds, so I'm going to look into that.  I do grow a lot of Brown- eyed Susans that I leave standing in the fall for the Goldfinches to eat the seeds.  I also enjoy feeding the birds.

Activity 1:  Birds add so much to our daily lives if only we took the time to notice.  I love to wake up early and wait for the first bird to start the day.  I've noticed that cardinals usually are the early birds.  Many of the birds around me are the ones I remember from growing up even though I've moved almost 400 miles away.  I love the Merlin APP for identifying birds around me that I didn't know existed.  Birds are important not only for their appearance and songs but also how they contribute to the world around us.  I sure do appreciate their appetites for bugs!

Activity 2: I have done a few actions to protect birds but commit to do more. We already had applied window decals on the few windows that birds seemed to have trouble with and are migrating our cat to be indoors only (she is not happy about it). One huge change I have made in my yard is to leave the dead and dying plants from the previous year in my pots and gardens instead of clean them all up before winter. Now, I am reaping the benefit of watching birds crawl through all of these plants stripping seeds and finding insects as well as seeing them collect parts of the plants this spring for nesting. I will commit to using more native plants in my yard going forward.

Activity #2: Through my new love of birding, I discovered a nursery near me that sells native plants to Eastern Ontario. I am actively reducing the amount of non native plants on my property and replacing them with native ones. The ones that interest me the most are the berry bushes. They provide flowers in the spring and berries in the fall and winter. I'm also investing in window decals for my house to prevent bird strikes.

Activity 4: I definitely want to keep learning about birds and learning their calls and behaviors to better identify them in the field. I do want to become more active in bird conservation and knowing the 7 simple actions to protect birds is something I can work on and implement.

Activity 2: I do a few things from the 7 to protect birds although I didn't necessarily realize they were helping birds. I try to minimize my plastic use and recycle any plastics I can. I also keep my cats inside but that decision was for their health and well being. I love using native plants for landscaping and i've participated in a few citizen science projects, like using ebird when I have some time.  

Activity 1: Birds have become a hobby I enjoy. It probably stems from going out camping or on a boat with my dad and he would point out different birds to me and I wanted to be like him and know different birds just from sight. Now I can tell him what cool birds I saw on a long drive or name a bird he doesn't know. I still have a lot to learn, but i've turned my girlfriend onto birding as well. She loves to identify birds with me and she's already learned more then she knew before she met me.  

My grandfather was really big on birdwatching, so whenever I'd go to my grandparents' house I would be able to see an abundance of birds at his feeders all through my childhood.  as I grew up I became more interested in birds. they bought me this course for Christmas and ever since then, I've studied hard to learn bird calls, identifying them by size and color, and going out into the field to watch them. this course makes me so incredibly happy. birds will always play a big part in my life, and this course has reminded me of this. I've bought binoculars and this spring I plan to go out whenever I can to study and enjoy nature, hearing the sweet calls of the birds.  I plan on birdwatching for a long while and protecting their ecosystems as much as I can. And like Emily Dickinson says, "hope is the thing with feathers."

#1. I have learned more about how birds contribute to our ecosystems. I had never been very interested in birds (I've always been a plant person), but learning more about them has made me feel more connected to the natural world, as learning about plants always has as well. I think this kind of knowledge and connection - the feeling of walking in nature and recognizing the trees, plants, and animals we encounter; seeing them as neighbours or friends - is vital to the preservation of our natural spaces. If we have no connection, it's easy to not care and go on with our busy lives without thinking about the bigger picture. #2. I live in an apartment building, but there is a garden area too shady for the hired gardeners to bother with, near an adjacent forested area. My kids and I plant a few shade-tolerant native plants in this area every year - ones that are natural to the surrounding forest and support pollinators. We try to avoid plastic altogether, but otherwise make sure we re-use it as many times as we can, and recycle it. Any time a piece of plastic looks like it could trap an animal somehow, we cut it. I want to make sure all my coffee is bird-friendly, and I plan to be an active Citizen Scientist in regards to birds going forward. #3. I haven't paid close enough attention to birds to be able to comment on this, although I will echo another person's comment about the decrease in insect numbers (which would, of course, affect birds).  I absolutely have also noticed that on road trips there are almost no insects on the car/windshield compared to in my childhood. That has bothered me for years. #4. I plan to take the eBird course and make a habit of using it. I plan to participate in the Backyard Birdcount this year - I'll be doing it with some family members who know more about birds than I do, so I am looking forward to that! I work outdoors and deal with plants and plant communities, but I look forward to be able to add some casual bird observations that may be helpful or relevant to my notes as well. Very happy I took this course!

Bird is so much matter to me, because when I ever I go back to my village and sleep, that Bird can wait me up, with a beautiful song,  like the hummingbird, sparrow Bird , and flycatcher etc etc..... eBird thank so much for providing this program to help us learn about bird we love to hear in our environment on a daily basis...

Activity 2: Of the Seven Simple Actions to Protect Birds, I am already doing a few: minimizing plastic waste, keeping my kitties indoors, and planting native plants on my deck. I plan on starting to buy bird-friendly, shade-grown coffee and doing more citizen science going forward.

Birds matter to me because of their beauty and the joy they bring to the world. I have many memories of birdwatching when camping as a child, or just in our backyards. As and adult, I have always been fascinated by birds all around the country. Woodpeckers are a personal favorite. Years ago, I was recovering from surgery and a pileated woodpecker came into my yard every day. I looked forward to his visits. This course has reinforced my love of birds and their import roles in the world. My family is trying to use less plastic and recycle more. We have made a bird-friendly garden that attracted many humming birds last summer. I think the coffee we buy is shade grown, but I will look into this. I never thought about that before. Now that I think of it, it seems that we have less cardinals and blue jays in my area. They used to be all over, but now I don't see them quite as often, or as many of them. I will be paying more attention to this. I hope it is just me not being as observant as in the past. I am going to be doing a lot more bird watching and I will report my findings. I just signed up for the backyard bird count. I am very excited to be a birder. Thanks for a great course!

#1 thanks to this course, my love for nature has increased, and also I’ve been able to know more about the world of birds, birding and conservation, and now I feel more confident to join a group of birders in my country. #2 I’ll practice recycling plastic, supporting conservationists, making my garden  bird friendly, and looking for that shaded grown bird friendly coffee. #3 changes in bird population: probably yes… there are some bright-color birds I haven’t seen in a while in my neighborhood in Panama. (Probably 7-15 years ago). #4 this course inspired me to go birding as much as I can, and also I’m looking forward to take the gardening course to improve my backyard.