Merlin app has been my great app for bird identification,, it has given passion about birds since when i came across any bird i can be able to identify it by choosing the size, location , the color and the habitat and it will definitely give out the possible birds around that location

One of my favorite ways to track birds lately has been through the Sound ID in the Merlin App. It has been so fun being able to pull out my phone with my kiddos when we hear something interesting and discover the variety of birds that are right next to us!

1. I have found that the records from my Merlin listenings are the best record of birds I have witnessed. And much easier than taking notes. 2. My favorite birdwatching site is Short Ridge Park, just a few blocks from my house (and I can walk the dog there too). Experienced birdwatchers go there regularly and I have met a local ornithologist there. Another experience was a birdwatching class taught by Audubon, but the most interesting was a trip to SE Arizona in April 2021; with the help of local birders, I saw lots of exotic and colorful birds.

Activity 1: I have taken pictures and notes of local birds, and birds that are in this area for breeding in the Summer. I took some notes during the time when some Mourning Doves made a nest right in front of my window, I took pictures after the eggs hatched and once when the mother was feeding the little chicks. Also, after spending the spring and the first part of the summer listening to Acadian Flycatchers that are temporarily in the local parks I could take a picture of a nest, which was very interesting to see. This has helped me have a more broad view of these species and be more attentive to nests in order no to disturb them.

Activity Two- As far as I can see, we do not have any chapters near us. We would love to connect with people (via seeing their submissions) we see on the ebird site for our remote NY state county. Does anyone know how to do that? We've asked before. We also participate in the Backyard Count and have signed up for the Audubon Christmas count. We did not know about the feeder count. That sounds very interesting.

Activity 2: In Florida the summer's get hot and humid and birding activity slows down. Many birding groups take a break through the summer months. To encourage people to continue birding Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is sponsoring the June Challenge. This is a county level friendly challenge to record how many species you can see during the slow birding month of June.

Activity #1: I love keeping field notes. As mentioned by Kevin in this lesson's video, these notes help to bring back wonderful memories of bird sightings and experiences from places around the world. I only wish I had the same artistic skills to really be able to document each bird with the notes!

Activity 1:  I very much enjoy getting to know the birds that come to my backyard feeder and have been a faithful participant in Project Feeder Watch for the past two years. Photography has been very helpful to me as I keep track of the various species that visit my feeders. I am especially grateful for how helpful photography is in determining whether or not the birds that feed in my backyard are healthy. Finches for example require close examination to determine if they have signs of eye disease. So, by photographing these finches I can be much more certain about whether or not they are carrying eye disease.

Activity 1: I am a photographer and take along my camera to help me identify what I am looking at. I have also written down notes to help me later when going through field guides. Recently, I loaded Merlin on my phone and I have enjoyed using it to record the birds singing. Activity 2: In November I signed up for Feeder Watch and I have enjoyed watching and tallying the birds every weekend. In February, I signed up for the GBBC and added another location from my own backyard to the count. I also opened an eBird account on my desktop to fill in my GBBC observations, however, I didn't realize I could continue to enter counts on a regular basis. So this information about eBird was helpful.

Activity 1: Yes, my notes are helpful, especially with Sparrows and some of the Woodpecker species we have in the area. I take pictures of them and also use Merlin to verify that my guesses are correct. I have a life list that's starting to get some bulk to it.   Activity 2: We do the annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

Activities 1 & 2: Since the end of December I'd been seeing on the eBird rare bird alert that there was an immature Ross's Gull seen from the pier at Nieuwpoort on the Belgian coast, and yesterday I finally went to see him. He regularly hangs out with Black-headed and Herring Gulls around the end of the pier, flying over the sea and sometimes even perching right on the pier. The field guides say that an immature Ross's Gull can resemble immature Black-legged Kittiwakes and Little Gulls, but I noted down the special field marks of the Ross's Gull and this bird definitely showed them (especially his wedge-shaped tail with black tips to the central tail feathers). But his ID has been confirmed by many birdwatchers more expert than me.

Activity 2:

• Florida Audubon

Activity 2: Joined eBird rare alerts a few months ago. I especially enjoy learning about what’s been spotted in my favorite area a day or so before I venture out to that area. I’ll study what those birds look and sound like, and where to find them before I go out birding. Thanks to the detailed information some birders provide in their eBird notes, on one occasion I was able to find the bird in the exact location as described in the rare eBird alert. I felt very accomplished and excited when I found it! eBird and Merlin are amazing! 😊

I must be psychic because a few days ago I signed up for the rare bird alerts from eBird.  Someone reported having seen a Lapland Longspur in my town.  I wasn’t able to rush out and go see it (and I was thinking, am I becoming one of Those People? Maybe so!) but I did look it up, and noticed that it doesn’t normally live in NC. It might not be rare elsewhere but it would be interesting to see one here. We were in England hiking once and there were a bunch of birders crowding into a bird blind. They all had their scopes and bins and huge lenses. There was an air of great excitement.  We asked what they were seeing, and they said “a cattle egret.” Cattle egrets don’t live in the UK so I suppose that would be pretty exciting!

I haven’t ever done field notes. I’ve tried just a handful of times to write down what i saw , but with the easy of technology, the merlin bird app allows me to observe and quickly identify most of the time. I’ve recently been really liking the sound ID feature so if i can get a sound registered then i will see if that suggestion matches what i see. On the occasion the app doesn’t suggest the bird i saw i try to get a picture or will then make a few notes about distinguishing colors, patterns, etc, to search through my bird book at a later time.

I made a new year's resolution this year to make one eBird report every day.  Actually, I started in mid December after only hearing about eBird for the first time in November. As of this writing, I have a 214 day streak!  I try to take pictures that I add at least a couple of times a week and, since the new Merlin Song ID, I've been adding audio too.  But sometimes, on those back to back meeting days, I just sit by my living room window during a meeting and log what I see out the window. It's pretty addictive. On a side note, there are people who check your eBird submissions to make sure they are accurate. When I first started logging and they said things like "Dear Stephanie, thank you for submitting to eBird , but that sparrow that you thought you saw was probably a warbler". At first, I was a bit insulted. But I realized that I really had only been birding for a couple of months, so what did I know. I decided to use my phone camera to record every bird that I saw and reported each day, even crows.  That way, I could get some useful feedback on my bird IDs and have proof when I actually saw something unusual. It worked. I've learned a ton from the feedback and have struck up a friendship of sorts with the 2 or 3 guys who usually give me feedback.

I always like jotting things down but now, after this course, I plan to do that in a more systematic way. I’m a birding beginner and using the pandemic lockdown time to try some new hobbies. I’ve been observing neighbourhood birds regularly. Merlin and eBird are good place to start and I’m impressed with the functionality (local maps, weekly sightings etc)... a while new birding world has opened up to me!

I had reported on watching a robin nesting through when the birds flew out of the nest.  I now know about keeping record of the various changes of the eggs up to independent little robins.  I would like to know the exact amount of days from laying eggs to breaking out of their shell and various other behaviors they earned before leaving the nest.  Thanks

I participated in Activity #2 without even knowing about it. I took the eBird essentials course a week ago and as per a recommendation, I signed up for a rare birds alert. To my surprise this week an alert came in. It was several sightings of a rare bird called a Piping Plover. It was at a Wildlife Reserve about 25 minutes away. I’ve never even known about this place before but made a date with my daughter to visit the Reserve at 5 am to see the sunrise and do some birding. We saw the sunrise and 2 Blue Herons, deer, many ducks and birds, then we actually came across the rare Plover foraging in the sand. We checked the pictures and Bird ID info. We matched the song and chirps up with sound bytes. We took pictures and were so giddy and happy to see such a rare, precious little bird. It made for a great memory with my daughter.

I like to exercise and walk in the parks. I carry the camera and try to identify the birds using the Merlin App. If I can´t find it , I post the photo on the Facebook group of the Ornithological Association and in a few minutes someone helps me with the ID. And I am learning to sketch the birds that come to my backyard.

Activity 1: I love the idea of keeping a field journal, but I have no artistic ability whatsoever. That being said, I'll be signing up for the field journal course after I finish this one. :-) Activity 2: I joined the Birds of Virginia Facebook group. It has nearly 7,000 members, so I look forward to seeing what people post. PS I also want to participate in an upcoming bird count.

I have joined the Birds in Wisconsin Facebook group. Also I’ve signed up for the e-bird alert emails for my county, both for rare birds and for year needs. It’s fun to read about what others are seeing. It has introduced me to several great spots to go birding!

We spotted a Downy woodpecker while out walking.    My wife and I tried to note the distinguishing characteristics to help with identification:     It was pretty small, less than a robin.   It was only black and white and no red markings so she is a female.   Her beak was black and fairly small compared to the head size.   The chest was all white and no other markings there.    The back was mostly black but several lines of white spots next to each other on her wings. She was upright in a tree branch and definitely searching for food.    Although not loudly drumming she did forcefully put her beak into the branch and seemed to me looking for insects. All these observations made the ID a cinch once I searched for her on Merlin.    It helps to at least say out loud the characteristics and list everything you can think of.      I now know that I really did see a Yellow bellied sapsucker the other day but didn't list enough characteristics to nail the ID at that time.

I do not belong to a birding group but a good friend of mine is teaching and encouraging me in my quest to learn more about our fellow creatures. We try to get out to do the bird count every Feb and May by taking the hiking in Algonquin Park taking trails with a variety of habitats. What a fun day we always have enjoying our friendship, our common interest and our discoveries.