I grew up in S. Mississippi! I live in Oregon now. When I visit my mom in Mississippi I always enjoy the variety of birds at her feeder, especially the Northern Cardinals and the Blue Jays. Sounds like you have a great backyard for birdwatching. Enjoy it!
For Activity 2: This morning I saw 2 Anna's Hummingbirds (hummingbird group) in my backyard. Right now I can hear American Crows (songbird group) in the front yard. I want to know what they are saying. And yesterday my friend and I rode our bikes to a wetland to see the Great Egrets (wading birds group). They were so beautiful.