I decided to research the Sparrowhawk more as it is a regular visitor to my area and often my garden. Our house backs on to a natural green area and there are always many sparrows and small birds around which is what attracts the Sparrowhawk. I have to admit that at the start of my birding journey I didn´t always appreciate visits from the Sparrowhawk but I have now learnt to have a deep admiration and somewhat of a connection to this bird. I can recognise certain alarm calls that the songbirds make when the sparrowhawk has either made a surprise dive or is sat somewhere waiting for the perfect moment to strike.  It always arrives in complete silence. After hearing the sparrows going mad at the bottom of my garden I got my camera. This male sparrowhawk came and sat on our gate after an unsuccessful hit and was looking up at the hedge, waiting for any slight movements from the birds hiding in the dense top part where he can´t quite get in. That however does not deter him. I have witnessed him many times literally whacking the hedge with outspread wings until one of the little birds flies out...then zoom he is off straight behind it, although he´s not always successful. His dive into dense twigs is impressive and so very fast with the sound of what can only be described as a whoosh.  Best Wishes to everyone and a big thanks for all the wonderful tips this course has already taught me! “The hawk soars high above, untouched by the chaos below. It serves as a reminder to rise above adversity and maintain a clear perspective.” – Unknown

I took a friend on his first birdwatching experience last weekend.  It was good to experience things from his perspective; he was interested in even the most common birds that I see every day.  Sometimes, we need to remember the wonder of birds instead of just looking species.  Anyway, my friend was focused on a little grebe which I had noticed when he mentioned that the grebe had caught a fish and was eating.  I probably would have missed it if he hadn't said anything.  Now I am thinking how I should spend more time looking for birds "doing something" for interesting pictures.  I was walking to work recently and saw a female night heron with a fish bigger than her head in her bill.  If I hadn't had the earlier experience with the grebe, I think I would have been interested but moved on.  Instead, I decided to wait for a bit and watched her work down the fish.  Remembering how she ate the fish makes me want to learn more about night heron biology and behavior since they're common around here and the experience is just so vivid in my mind.   

I really enjoyed shooting a family group of Acorn Woodpeckers in the national forest close to my home.  They are raucous and not shy around people, so easy and enjoyable to photograph.  I’m completely fascinated by the granaries they maintain.  They dig out holes in dead wood and fill each one with an acorn (or other nuts).  As the acorns dry and shrink they are moved to smaller holes to make it difficult to steal them.  These granaries are used for multiple generations.  I was delighted to see them also using a sign post as a secondary granary-work smarter not harder!  This was actually my first time using my new camera body, a used Nikon D500.  Lens is a used Tamron G2 150-600 mm.  I think I’m going to use eBird to search by species and try to locate other granaries to photograph in my area.

Before this course, I have generally taken photos and then come to identify the birds and learn a little more about their habitat and behavior. Surprise has been part of my photographic experience. Now I'm going to do it differently and try to document a bird before I go to photograph it. The bird chosen will be the Cormorant.

My research on the black-backed puffback has been an incredible journey that greatly aided my quest to photograph this elusive bird. Initially, I studied its habitat, behavior, and vocalizations. I spent countless hours reading scientific papers and observing various resources to understand where and when these birds are most active. My research discovered that black-backed puffbacks are often found in dense foliage, making them challenging to spot. Armed with this knowledge, I decided to visit specific locations during dawn and dusk—times when these birds are most vocal and likely to reveal themselves. I also learned that they are typically more active during the breeding season, prompting me to time my visits accordingly. Utilizing the insights gained from my research, I experimented with different bird calls and set up strategically placed cameras in areas where I expected the puffbacks to appear. One early morning, I ventured into a particularly promising location armed with both my camera and an understanding of their habits. After a prolonged wait, I heard the familiar call resonating through the trees. At that moment, all my preparations paid off. I was able to capture stunning images of the black-backed puffback as it flitted through the branches, its striking plumage contrasting beautifully with the greenery. The combination of my dedicated research and patient observation not only helped me locate this elusive bird but also resulted in photographs that I am incredibly proud of. This experience reinforced the importance of thorough research in wildlife photography, proving that knowledge truly can lead to remarkable opportunities.

I decided to drive to a local State Lake that is surrounded by a mixture of pine and deciduous forest and attempt to find one of my favorite Woodpeckers, the Pileated Woodpecker.  They are native to Eastern North America, the Great Lakes and the Boreal forests of Canada.  I decided on this species of wood pecker as I know we have them in our forests from time to time but it was also my hope to see that the population is continuing to be healthy in our region.  They eat insects primarily carpenter ants, wood boring beetles, termites, spruce budworms, catepillars, cockroaches and grasshoppers. The breed in the spring and are very territorial and have the most beautiful voice/call in my opinion of all the woodpeckers.  It is a very loud primeval call and is the easiest way to locate where they may be one in the forest.  Care should be taken however, as they are territorial and as learned in this lesson care should be taken when trying to locate them. They are non-migratory. I located this Pileated Woodpecker at 11:45 am .  I heard him before I spotted him and stopped the car and turned off my engine.  Using the binoculars and listening to his call  I was able to locate him next to the Lake in an Oak tree feeding on insects.  The Pileated is also known for the shape of the hole in which he develops in trees which is more of an elongated hole compared to other woodpeckers.  I stayed inside the car, using my telephoto lense to get closer to him.  He never showed signs of stress that I observed.  Once I took my pictures I started the car and slowly moved on.

I was surprised to see an American Goldfinch, feeding , which seemed like a juvenile. It is October now in Pennsylvania, and I had to do some research. I found out that sometimes they wait until early fall to lay their eggs. We also have some goldfinches that stay here in the winter. So, this sighting really surprised me.

For fun I decided to use eBird to find a common species in my area that that I hadn't photographed before, using the map I found that Chestnut teal Ducks were common in my area with numerous sightings, I then use google to find more information about what they eat, listen to recordings, I then used google maps to locate a nearby waterway where they hadn't been reported as being seen but  one where i thought it would be very likely to find them in.  to my delight I found several and snapped the following photo

I noticed that a female ruby-throated hummingbird would often perch on an apple tree near my back porch. I put up a feeder and saw a second mail hummingbird come to feed. The male started aggressively squawking and chasing away any other hummingbird that showed up at the feeder. I read that hummingbirds are very territorial and can be quite aggressive and violent. To counter this behavior, I put up for different feeders around various locations around the outside of my house. I noticed that other hummingbirds are now able to feed at different times and locales because the aggressive male cannot patrol all feeders at once.

This spring a pair of Robins made a nest next to my front porch in a Rhododendron bush, next to where my wife and I enjoy coffee at various times of the day.  We observed the Robins sitting on the gutter above the bush making certain that we had not moved and making certain that we knew they were watching us by making calls, switching their tails and flying up to the electrical lines and repeating all the same antics in full view.  During periods of heavy feeding times we had the pair waiting, with food in beaks, to suggest that we should move to allow them to continue to feed their  young which we fully complied with their request.  During the entire summer my wife and I never made an attempt to locate or observe the pair on the nest itself, just enjoyed being fussed at and watching the pair accept our presence.

I came across this communication behavior completely by accident. Two Canada geese in an urban pond in Vancouver, Canada, (these photos are extracted from a video taken on an iPhone), swimming around seemingly at random and then they both eventually line up, their honking starts at the exact same time, and takeoff and flight begin at exactly the same time.  How was the decision to fly made and communicated, and how was the timing of the flight decided upon and communicated? I’ve played this video over and over again and simply can’t find any cues, but there was communication of the most intimate kind.  They probably left both knowing exactly where they were going. I will never tire of this little video and I often come back to the words of Gilbert White, “The language of birds is ancient, and like other ancient modes of speech, very elliptical: little is said but much is meant and understood.”  

I selected the Little Pied Cormorant as I had seen it at my local park a few weeks ago. Typically these birds dive for food under water but, as they do not have water resistant feathers like ducks, they have to dry themselves while roosting ashore. One bird was present on the lake in the local park but rather than diving for food it was vigorously bathing. This went on for about 15 minutes and the splashing was so loud that it could be heard for a distance from the water. After bathing the bird roosted on a nearby tree where it displayed the typical drying behaviour. I've never seen this bathing before and the bird seemed oblivious to people by the lake and other birds swimming nearby. Fortunately, from a photographic point of view, the bird bathed and dried itself on the sunny side of the lake. The wind was from the same side of the lake which meant that when it dried itself the bird had its back to me as they prefer to have the wind on their backs when they dry.

I chose the Common Loon and I'll admit I wasn't too surprised with finding them as I always know there's Loons on the lakes nearby, when I started doing more research into another bird - the Trumpeter Swan - I found myself surprised on how much information was out there. While I use the eBird app and Merlin ID frequently, I never really knew how much my data would be helpful. After all, sometimes I like to log birds just to give me something to do as opposed to fidgeting with other apps on my phone. Finding out the migration tracking and how helpful it is to see when reports have come up for a lot of birds was fantastic! I started making more Trip Plans with the idea of seeing as many birds as possible using this research during peak times they come into my province. Such as May or the fall migration at the end of September. That was great and hopefully I'll find more birds to take pictures of before honing myself further!

It was a nice cloudy afternoon right before sunset, my birding buddy and I decided to go to our regular birdwatching spot near home, hoping that we may see the white-throat kingfisher again. We saw its dazzling blue back swept by for three times last week, but never got a chance to see it in detail, let alone taking any shots. However, once we got there, we knew we were sure to be disappointed because the tide was too low. It's nice afternoon to see wading birds.  Herons and egrets were in a distance, waiting for prey patiently. So we quickly gave up after a quick scanning, and looking for other birds. Though we didn't see much birds of interests, there were several surprises from our regular neighbors. A male plaintive cuckoo was perching on a bare branch, singing pre-song. Though we hear this species singing every day since spring, we only saw one once. Today's encounter might be a juvenile? There are tens of house swifts hovering above the mangroves, they are not-so-regular visitors in this area! We also saw a mysterious brown bird... Merlin and another software says it's a light-vented bulbul, while it is 90% is one of the most common birds here according to the profile and some features, but its color marks is so different than the typical look! Perhaps some sort of mutated one? It was pretty late and the lighting was not good. So I only got some blurry images. There are for record only :P

I kept hearing these birds on my walks after work. I used Merlin sound id. Bullock's Orioles. I finally spotted them after 4 tries. I payed attention to when I was hearing their song, the area and what time. this was taken around sunset time. Two males and one female perched up and displayed courtship behavior. I really enjoyed your videos on how to become a better naturalist and all the information you provided on how to research the bird before looking for it. I am planning on looking for a Red Knot in its breeding plumage. I read about this bird and now feel like my birding experience will be so much more comprehensive and meaningful. Thank you

I have had frequent visits from male and female Purple Finches at my feeder.  Your pictures are lovely.

I am fortunate to live fairly close to a large River in my hometown.  This time of the year there are lots of gulls, Mallards, and other variety of ducks.  I am usually on a mission to get photos of as many as I can.  A couple of days ago I was hoping that I might see a cormorant, and to be honest I wasn't completely sure if it might be too early.  Any way to my delight there was this lone Double Crested Cormorant with a traveling companion.  It was quite a distance away, swimming down the river, so I was only able to identify the other bird after taking the picture with my zoom lens.  Turned out to be a Surf Scoter (as best I can tell after consulting Merlin and my Bird ref).  Calm waters, I think around 10 am and not many other birds, ducks, gulls around.  These two traveled down the river for quite a while together. As an aside, when I took the picture I was on a walking bridge over the river and as I brought my camera over the railing, my lens hood was nudged off so down the bank and into the river it went.

I love watching birds at all times (and often to the annoyance of my family). I work from home and am always watching and listening to what birds are in the yard or at the feeders. Today, a special treat! A male purple finch perched right outside my window. Only the third time in 5 years we have had one in the yard. They seem to show up mid- to late winter. (April is still winter here in Minnesota.) I have found that becoming exceptionally familiar with the common birds (sights, sounds and behaviors) helps the unusual ones stand out. We have house finches every day, but the purple was an unexpected surprise..

I observe birds in front of my apartment, here in France. Most of the time, there are numerous House Sparrows, Common Woodpigeons, Eurasian Collared-Doves, Eurasian Magpies, Eurasian Jays, European Blackbirds, etc. Last year I purchased a Sony DSC-RX10 iv, as I want to use the camera for bird identification and recording my field observations. But unfortunately, I have no enough knowledge in photography and sometimes I think that I am not improving my photography skills despite my efforts. This is why I decided to take this course.

I often walk or run the same trail along the Jordan River in Salt Lake City.  As it is winter, waterfowl dominate the picture.  However, I love seeing Northern Flickers, who migrate down and spend the cold months here.  They (and the various guides) have taught me about their foraging, which often happens on the ground.  I learned to recognize their typical undulating flight pattern with the beautiful read color of the wings (and the flash of white when seen from behind).  Seeing them in the tree, I saw the reliance on berries or other fruits and read that this may account for about one third of their wintery diet.  And sure enough, they made me look into the anatomic mechanisms that protect them from brain injury, when they do their staccato pecking.

Practicing and learning a lot with this great course. I decided to go for different types of sparrows, as they offer lots of chances for exercising focus and settings --and, as common as they are, I sometimes forget they are sweet and pretty! Enjoying this lessons a lot :)

My "gateway" birds were Anna's and Allen's hummingbirds.  In Los Angeles we see hummers all year. I realized they will come if you put out a feeder or plant appropriate flowers. They love the pentas I have planted in my yard. They do spend a lot of time resting and make great bird portraits. 

I enjoy seeing egrets at a local wetlands where I am a docent, and have seen them at a nearby beach. We tell our guests that Snowy Egrets have yellow feet and a dark bill, and Great Egrets the opposite. It is beautiful to watch them fly as well!

The bald eagle is a year-round resident here in New York State. They have made a tremendous come-back after their populations were decimated by industrial pollutants, namely DDT. In winter they can be found fishing at openings in the ice on frozen water bodies like lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds. The bald eagle is opportunistic and will eat carrion like road-kill and remnants that hunters leave behind from field-dressing their kills. I was out doing a raptor survey in a field looking specifically for short-eared owls and northern harriers when I happened upon this bald eagle snacking on a ribcage from what looks like a deer. This picture was captured in Monroe County, NY with a Sony A6000. Cheers Sean.