Activity 1: I tried combining a few elements from my observations (photography taken, sound recordings made, research done) to retell a sighting from over the weekend… but in comic form. It’s probably not a very sustainable way of making field notes… but I found it a fun way to capture and communicate a memory. See what you think!

Activity 1: Rather than jotting down notes, I usually try to get pictures of birds to reference later, though without a good zoom lens that's not always possible. Yesterday, though, I heard a bird song that I wanted to identify, so I used the recorder app on my phone and then compared that to songs on the Merlin app. I am honestly weakest on identifying birds by their calls and songs. Some of them have so many, and some of them just sound very similar to me, so I have a hard time distinguishing. It's an area that I want to work on. Anyway, using my recording, I determined that I was hearing the song of a Carolina Chickadee. :-) I was only a little embarrassed at my ignorance there. I see those little guys in my yard constantly, and I hear them chattering to each other constantly, but I didn't recognize their song. I think I will continue to make recordings for reference so I can hone this skill. Activity 2: Not a lot is going on with local birding clubs right now due to COVID-19, but I did join the eBird Alert for Rare Birds in my area and get those emails daily.

YES, NOTES ARE VERY HELPFUL FOR ME WHILE OBSERVING A BIRD.

IT IS WIRE TAILED SWALLOW Swallows are small, with pointed narrow wings, wide and short tail, short bills, and small feet. Swallows spend much time in the air,flying all around quickly and capturing insects, they are most adapted to move fast and quickly. I found this beautiful bird in Delhi NCR, India. It takes many attempts to click a photo of a fast flier swallow. After studying the bird behaviour and its identification I came to know about this bird also. Keeping an eye on bird is very important to understand its behaviour. Morning time is best for bird watching. As a bird watcher it is important to keep patience as well as noticing bird and knowing its behaviour also requires patience. Wire tailed swallow is common here but as a first attempt it means a lot for me. It does not take straight flight, it takes sudden flight which is very impressive. Bird watching is very interesting. Tracking birds and seeing them with binoculars is really a wonderful feeling. Wing Tailed Swallow flies in form of circle all around its area. Its small bill helps in feeding and long wings are useful for its flight.

I love Manyu's drawing...I have long wanted to start a nature journal, so maybe this will inspire me!

Activity #1. Yes, my notes were helpful...I noted the size and color of some birds, and what the habitat was like. In a forested area, I saw robins, flickers, house sparrows, and a couple of warblers (it is May, after all!). In a marshy area, I saw Canada geese (including mom and four goslings), gulls (we only seem to have ring-billed gulls around Inwood Hill Park), and a solitary egret (it was distant, but I think it was a great egret. And I tried to describe some songs I heard, when I didn't see the birds...e.g. the three "warm-up notes" of the song sparrow; and the "conkaree" of the red-winged blackbird. Activity #2. I actually signed up for a NYC listserve last year: ebirds.nyc. It's been quiet because of the corona virus lockdown here, but today there was a burst of emails because people are starting to see warblers: one woman saw 19 species of warblers early this morning in a park I hadn't heard of, but will now check out (when lockdown is over, that is)

Activity 2 - Found a Bird community group called Jaipur Zoo. Will connect with them.

Activity 1

I may get the e-bird app to document my bird finds, but I've never kept track before.  I usually walk around with my Bay Area Bird ID foldable, laminated chart.  The Merlin app has been helpful.  In my community garden I will sometimes sketch birds with colored pencil in a nature notebook.  When the shelter-in-place ends, I will join a birding group walk through Los Gatos Birdwatcher, our local birding shop.  In the meantime, I joined "birdy hour" via Zoom facilitated by San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory.

I find it hard to take notes, look for birds I've heard but can't find, handle binoculars and or a camera!  Still it's worth it even when I look back at notes from traveling to see how I've describe or been excited about something I've seen. I wonder, can one add birds to ebird that one saw and listed on a trip a year or more ago before taking this class when traveling with a group that did birding before I knew much? I have signed up for alerts in my area and there are two rare sightings but it's been raining for 3 days! I hope to get out and see if I can spot the birds mentioned!