Joy of Birdwatching

When I learned about shade grown coffee being better for birds, I asked for bird friendly coffee for christmas and my husband gifted me some DELICIOUS dark roast from Birds and Beans. It is even tastier when I remember each morning that the birds can enjoy the habitat from which it came. I will definitely be buying more!

I really enjoyed the class and it has got me noticing and enjoying nature more. My partner and I built two screech owl houses a few weeks ago and put up some bird feeders. Today I noticed some black capped chickadees were very excited and flying around like crazy. I watched them with my (newly purchased) binoculars and saw that they were checking out the screech owl house, one at a time would perch at the 3 inch hole and peer inside. This lasted for about 5 minutes before (I think) they realized it wasn’t suitable, but it was amazing to watch. It made me realize that we should build chickadee houses next. So tonight I ordered some lumber and this will be our weekend project. I didn’t think chickadees would find a mate and look for a next at this time of year, March 2nd in Ontario. A few weeks ago I heard a chickadee mating call, so I guess it’s happening. I now wonder if I’m setting up the chickadees to be food for the screech owls in my area...not sure about this. I might end up removing the screech owl house since it’s still unoccupied, or maybe the squirrels will move in. Last weekend I noticed my first Northern Flicker and Red Breasted Nuthatch on a hike, and today I saw a Red Breasted Nuthatch in my back yard. That was pretty cool. I never would have noticed these things before taking this course. I’m going to build birdhouses and give them to my friends to help the bird population in my area. It’s very cheap and easy to make these. I’m also looking forward to adding more native bushes and flowers to my garden this summer. It’s the start of a lifelong passion and so much fun :)

This was a great class to take that my wife got for me and looking forward to the next one.  I really enjoyed the resources that linked to your zip code on the best plants and trees for birds and wildlife.  She bought me a camera and I had no idea how hard it was to take pictures of birds.  I am still learning and it is a work in progress.  I learned a great deal and hope to make our property a better habitat for birds and other wildlife. Thanks again for a great class.

I am an Environmental Scientist working with Service Members on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.  When I conduct my Environmental Trainings I often speak about the first Earth Day and the events, such as Silent Spring, Santa Barbara, and Cleveland, Ohio that lead up to it.  I also speak to the establishment of the EPA and all of the events such as Love Canal, New York, Bullitt County, Kentucky, and Times Beach, Missouri that resulted in many of the Environmental Regulations which are in place today.  The problem that we are facing now, however, is that many of these laws have been so effective that we now have a generation of Americans that have never experienced the kind of environmental degradation which was seen before 1970.  Because of this lack in experience, people are beginning to question the need for these laws and regulations and the environment is already starting to see the impacts related to this lack of knowledge. I especially enjoyed the final part of the course where it addressed climate change and habitat destruction.  JBLM is home to the Streaked Horned Lark, and many other species, because we are one of the last unfractured prairie ecosystems left in the South Puget Sound region.  I plan to incorporate some of what I learned during this course in an effort to reemphasize the importance that these birds have on environmental health.   Thank you.

I've been a casual birdwatcher for years. This course and the Nature Journaling course have heightened my interest in paying attention to the variety and seasonality of the birds in our area. I'd like to get better at identifying birds by their calls, because sometimes I am too rushed to take time to find it or don't have binoculars with me but am curious if it's a bird call I don't recognize. Will finish that course, which I'd started some time ago.

This course has been wonderful. The stats on declining bird populations is very distressing but I believe it!  I have logged 57 different birds at our cabin over the last 35 years but certain sightings have diminished significantly.  We are doing everything that we can to save the birds.

Since October 2020, I have become an active bird watcher. For one, birdwatching during the pandemic lockdown makes life more interesting and less stressful.  Also. There is so much to learn about birds, their   I live in a suburban city of Texas where the weather is mild all year round (except this week).  I equipped myself with a Nikon Coolpix P950 camera and a 12x55 monocular attached to my phone, and I am able to take photos and videos easily.  By using Merlin Bird ID app to identify birds I have registered 26 LifeLists.  One of them is a Summer Tanager, who visits our backyard feeder almost every day this winter, becoming one of our resident birds. You can see from the photo below that his feather on the right wing sticking out, so we call him Defecto.  My husband and I have been working hard to make our backyard a bird sanctuary with feeders, birdhouses, native plants and wild flowers.

Birds matter to me because I think there's nothing more delightful than hearing their early morning chirping to let me know that a new day has begun.  It shocks me that there are a lot of people who find their morning vocalizations annoying.  I can't help wonder if this is a sign of how greatly modern society is becoming divorced from nature. Before this course, identification of a birds' species wasn't a priority for me.  I just took them for being part of nature as a whole.  However, it has been fun to learn more about the unique habits, habitats and behaviours of individual species.

I live in Vancouver, B.C. and I've been fortunate enough to live in the same house for over 40 years, and have noticed differences in bird populations in that time, mostly, I think, because of environmental changes.   At first there were lots of Steller jays and barn swallows.   We had a large cedar hedge that the jays loved and the yards around us are fairly large, grassy and no fences.   The swallows swooped all over this "meadow".   As time went on houses sold, fences were put up, lots were complete covered with houses and cement.  We had to cut down our cedar hedge and replace it.  The swallows haven't been around for a while.  The jays moved elsewhere.   Sometimes I could hear them, but they were down the street a ways.   The cedar hedge has grown, the jays have returned.  I have seen a swallow or two but they don't seem to stay.   Flickers, crows, chickadees, and sparrows are the main birds.    Oh, and hummingbirds.   We, along with our neighbours, have put up feeders and grown plants they like in our gardens and we now have resident Anna's and transient rufus hummingbirds.

I am working to plant more native species, plant wildflowers and grasses as part of my lawn, and reduce overall mowed lawn areas.  I've joined a local bird watching club and participated in my first Christmas Bird Count in 2020. I continue to participate in other annual citizen science events like the Great Backyard Bird Count and FeederWatch. I'm currently promoting more natural areas in common areas in my community--i.e., allowing some grassy areas to grow rather than mowing everything as if it were a golf course.

Good experience thanks

Growing native plants

Leading a local nature org

I've planted native plants the last several years to attract butterflies and plan on expanding the garden this spring with plants that also attract birds.  I recently started purchasing coffee that is bird friendly (Birds and Beans).  It's delicious and it's nice to know I'm helping preserve the environment, for birds and other creatures!

During a global pandemic, birdwatching allows me to get outdoors and increase my knowledge of birds, their behaviours and activities to protect their habitats. I plan to research how to build nesting boxes for local bird species. In addition, I am going to expand my gardens in the spring to include native species which attract and nourish more birds. But finally birding helps my emotional and mental health, as I commit to this activity, share it with friends and challenge myself to learn more.

Learning more about birds has been a gateway for me to learning more about the environment I live in, and appreciating that humans are just as much a part of the ecosystem as any other bird, plant, animal, fish, insect... Many seem to have forgotten that, otherwise I think we (humanity as a whole) would be taking better care of the world. What we choose to do can have a positive or negative influence on the health of our world, and the health of birds. For one, I'm trying to do more positive things for birds: I'm planning on planting some native plants in the spring, and making my windows safer. And just continuing to watch and learn more about birds, to better appreciate, understand, and protect these fascinating neighbours of ours. Thank you for this course.

Thank you so much for this course. 1.  Birds matter to me because of the beauty they bring to the world and the value they provide to the ecosystem. 2. I'm continuously trying to limit my use of plastic, but it's really hard.  I'm interested in finding shade-grown coffee.  Most importantly, I'm in the process of making my backyard a very bird-friendly habitat by finding some native shrubs to add to the trees I already have growing. 4.  I keep trying to find new birding locations.  I'd like to try another course, perhaps something related to waterfowl.

Birds matter to me for so many reasons!  They really are a joy to watch, as stated in this course.  But most importantly, they are indicators of ecosystem health, and without a healthy natural world, our human spirits will suffer.   Spending time in nature is key my emotional well being and birds are a big part of that! Seven simple acts to help birds ... I am already doing many of these!  But I will say I have not yet gotten stickers for my windows and thankfully have not had any birds that we know of fatally crashing into them.    We do have a window feeder now, so that the cats can enjoy from indoors.   Luckily our yard already had lots of native plants there when we moved in 12 years ago and I already have been trying for years now to cut down plastic use but could always do better, and feel good  that our family of five never even fills the smallest garbage receptacle the city of Seattle offers.  No pesticide use, except for a month ago, when we needed to treat our birch tree, or it would be overcome by the bronze birch borer and have to be taken down.  It didn't seem like there were many options left, late in the game to realizing the problem.  I think there is an 8th, very important thing every bird lover can do - write their state and local lawmakers and tell them you support legislation that will protect and conserve bird habitat.  Be as specific as you can.   I can't say whether I have personally noticed bird populations changing over time.  i will note, that growing up in AZ, my parents used to have very large flocks of Robins come through every winter and though I don't live there anymore, they report that only a few here and there are ever seen.  I'm sure there could be many reasons for this.  I have moved around a lot in my adult life and now, having been in Seattle for a time, can't say about the populations in that time period - also  because I have just begun to devote more time to watching the birds during the pandemic. Yes, this course, and Liz's Nature Journaling course got me hooked on learning as much as I can and now I can't stop!  I am a lifelong learner.  But I must say that the Pandemic made this all possible since my part time jobs are not happening right now, and these courses are also something I share with my three girls while we are all at home all the time.

Birds matter to me because they show me the myriad connections between a species and its habitat, the amazing capabilities of these highly evolved animals and the vast reach of life on this planet. Taking the course deepened my appreciation and amazement. There's so much to learn and enjoy. We are now focused on the seven things to do for birds. In 2021 we will be reducing our use of pesticides and planting more native plants and flowers to beef up the natural food supply. Next steps on the journey are to become even more "bird aware" on our travels and to improve our observation skills. Will continue to use e-Bird to report our sightings.  

• Some Future Goals For Birding
• Continue to hone my birding skills
• Find more birding locations
• Use shade grown coffee
• Continue to plant native and bird friendly plants, trees and shrubs.
• Join a birding organization

Activity 3: I can say that populations have changed in my lifetime for some birds. Eagles and bluebirds I never saw when I was young and now l see them often. I believe there are more waterfowl in this area than when I was a young. But for many birds I simply couldn’t say because I have only recently learned to recognize them.

I have planted a small wildflower meadow. It attracts hummingbirds. Some flowers hummingbirds like are monarda (bee balm), buddleja(butterfly bush), gladioli, runner bean and anise hyssop. It also attracts many insects and the birds that prey on them. When the flowers are finished I leave the dead flower stalks stand to provide seeds for birds. Goldfinches especially love the seeds of coneflower and brown-eyed-Susan. The beanpole in the photo is a favorite perch for hunting phoebes.

By letting a succession of  wild plants grow in the periphery of the lawn areas I provide food and cover for pollinators and other insects. This in turn attracts insectivorous birds. The wild plants also provide food directly to birds in the form of seeds and berries. At times the groups of wildflowers can be quite stunning. This patch is a favorite place of foraging wrens. The fall wildflowers in the photo were preceded by wild raspberries.