Lesley

Why do birds matter to me? I am unapologetically announcing that, as the name of this course says, I find joy in birdwatching. Each and every day, I am thrilled by bird sightings at our backyard feeders, and by whatever I see flying overhead, such as the resident bald eagles, or birds spotted on outings in the forests and shores of our region on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. My husband and I will often stop whatever we are doing to call the other to come watch "our" quirky covey of California Quail in the yard, or that "Elvis" the shiny, blue black Steller's Jay with the slick-backed pompadour hair cut, has returned to our feeder. We love the whole gang out there. Even though I have watched and identified birds since I was a kid, now that I am retired, and especially during these months of COVID-19 restrictions, bird watching and the information in this course, has deepened my appreciation for the astonishing existence of birds; it has given me new awareness of the wonder of migration and bird behaviors. I've slowed down to really focus on this connection to nature. I am proud to say that I had already started to take action to protect birds, and now to check the boxes on the Seven Simple Actions is really gratifying. We tore up our lawns to create perennial gardens with plants that birds and bees can thrive on. We keep the fall/winter garden "messy" by allowing leaves to sit on the ground to harbor insects and seeds for the birds to eat. We have numerous feeders, and have plastered the windows with decals and post-it notes trying to prevent strikes. We recycle plastic and have reduced our use as much as possible. If we had a cat, we would keep it indoors -- but we can't do much about the stray that visits our yard -- at least the cat is a good mouser. And I am pleased to contribute to citizen science with bird counts and uncommon sightings. Have I noticed differences in bird populations over my lifetime? Yes, definitely. I see significantly fewer house sparrows, which I understand is a reported phenomenon, and fewer robins, which makes me sad, as their bright presence and song always takes me back to childhood. Future activities in my bird watching journey? I have enjoyed this course, so likely I will sign on for more. The instructions on using Merlin Bird ID and the migratory maps has been wonderful for richer bird watching experiences -- as has the tips on focusing binoculars properly! It took 68 years before someone showed me that trick! Thanks! Other than that, I plan to carry on with my life list and my enjoyment and awe at watching the bird world. Thank you for this tremendously enjoyable course. Photos: our bird-friendly front yard "meadow"  

California Quail are common in our region (Central Vancouver Island, British Columbia) and it was a treat to watch the behavior of a covey in our backyard all this summer (2020) that were almost daily visitors. My husband and I decided that they are quite eccentric birds in their behavior, but really they were just demonstrating all the topics in this section. The male's song declared his territory in the spring, sharp calls alerted danger, soft coos and clucks from the adults moved the group along or signaled the parents' location to the brood. At first it was just a male and female that made an appearance in the yard, scratching for seeds that that other birds had kicked out of the feeder. They stuck close to one another and nonchalantly meandered into and out of the open area, ducking under the hedge when it was time to go. Eventually, one or the other showed up alone, and although we worried a bit, we concluded that there must be eggs in the nest and that they must be spelling each other off. I don't know if this is true, but this is what we surmised. Eventually, we watched 15 chicks scramble through our yard when they first hatched. The male kept a perch up above, either on the roof of the house, or from a fence post, watching for dangers (aka the neighbor's cat.) Over the coming weeks, the number of chicks dwindled down to four that began to grown big, but then there were three. Happily we got to see these three grow as big as the adults, every day showing up in the yard to eat seeds, the male usually perched somewhere above them, watching, or he'd flutter down to eat and lead the group through to the "exit." A curious behavior that we observed was that the little family was joined in mid-summer by another adult male and female, a pair not quite as large as the parents -- we wondered if this was last year's kids! The four adults and three juveniles hung out in our yard, visiting two or three times a day, sometimes taking mud baths and siestas in soft dusty soil in the flower beds where I'd often see them altogether as a group. Gradually, we began to see the chicks' feathers taking on male or female colors, and their "fascinators" taking shape on their heads. Darling birds. One day, in later August they didn't come to visit. We have no idea where they went and they haven't been back. I read that quail will form larger coveys with neighboring quail in the autumn, so we like to think that they are all tucked into a nearby thicket of blackberry bushes, having a quail party.

Activity 1: Walking along the shore in our community on Vancouver Island, I noticed three black birds, between a crow and a goose in size, that were sitting out on rocks offshore., and was uncertain about their identity. I am familiar with cormorants as well as Surf Scoters and Black Oystercatchers, but these three did not match exactly the profile of any of these, although the Oystercatcher was my best guess even though I couldn't see red beaks or legs. The Merlin app confirmed this identification based on the posture of the birds perched on the rocks. Activity 2: Most Likely to be seen today? Several at my feeder! Two Bandtailed Pigeons that squeeze themselves into the feeder and sit there to eat are especially amusing. Activity 3: Using ebird bar charts, I searched on my region: Northern Pacific Rainforest, and specified Migration Season to search for five birds that pass through this area that I didn't know about. So many possibilities -- but the real surprises to me, because I thought these birds were more common in the East and I didn't think they would be seen on the west coast of Canada at all, were: Great Egret, Cedar Waxwing, Purple Martin, Yellow Warbler, and California Scrub Jay. I also learned about some birds that I hope to see: Western Tanager, Golden Crowned Kinglet, Western Bluebird, and Red Breasted Sapsucker, if they show up one day in my region.

Activity 1: practice using Merlin app to identify two familiar birds with different shapes: Dark-eyed Junco, and Black-capped Chickadee: the app was immediately effective in identifying both from the data I put in. Activity 2: use the Merlin app to identify three different birds that have the same colors on different parts of their bodies (and I went for birds of the same size and shape): Robin, Varied Thrush, and Spotted Towhee. Again the app gave the correct identifications for each given variation in data: feeding habits. Activity 3: Identify three birds using Merlin based on different feeding habits (but I chose similar size and shape): Downy Woodpecker (on trees), Golden-crowned Sparrow (on the ground), and Pine Siskin (at the feeder.) And Merlin gave me the correct answer right away. Loving this app -- and would totally trust it with any new bird sighting! Activity 4: Use the bird ID strategies to describe a favorite bird: Bald Eagle: Size: Goose or bigger; Shape: Upright raptor when perched, long, flat wing span when in flight, finger-like wing tips, head projects beyond body (unlike a vulture); Color and pattern markings: Brown, mottled with grey, and white: obvious white head and tail feathers on adults, juveniles all brown with white patches under wings in flight and on underbelly; Behavior: perches in tall trees, especially with bare branches, hunts over water or forest, soaring and swooping, flies in family groups; Range: all year here in the Pacific coast region of BC, Canada, reliably seen especially in spring and early summer over the ocean and around the forest treetops; Sounds: screeching cry and high-pitched chuckles, unmistakeable when heard nearby.