Nancy

Activity 1:  Birds are beautiful to look at and are very interesting and fun to observe. This course made me more aware of the important role birds have in the world’s ecosystems through their diversity in shape, size, habitat needs and behaviors. Activity 2: I will aim to make windows safer and drink shade-grown coffee. Already doing the other 5. Activity 3: Yes. I have noticed there are more raptors around. When I was a kid Bald Eagles were endangered and I learned about them from books. It was a spectacular sight to see them in the wild on a recent birding trip. Also, I would never have thought that I would see Peregrine Falcons perching outside my office window in New York City, and now this is a common sight around the skyscrapers in the area. Activity 4: I started a Life List, and am using Merlin and eBird to help me identify birds on my outings. Thank you for another terrific course!

Activity 1: Visited a nearby park in a wetlands area. Many songbirds were present in the grassy area with trees set far back from the water including American Robins, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Flicker, Golden-crowned Kinglet. These birds were not seen in the tidal mudflat area where other bird species were present including Mallards, Northern Shovelers, a Little Blue Heron, Great Egrets, Great Blue Heron and Herring Gulls. Activity 2: Sevenoaks must have a large pond/waterbody that is frequented by the many geese, swans, various duck species and all the shorebirds listed. There must also be a nearby field and brush area where the ring-necked pheasant lives. There are also songbirds here so there must be trees/forest in the area. At Down House I noticed there are no shorebirds such as ducks and geese, so I assume there is no water body in the area of this hotspot. There are predominantly  songbirds here, so I assume there are trees/a forest to provide their habitats. And perhaps there are fields and open areas that attract raptors such as the Common Buzzard and Eurasian Kestrel.

Activity 1: Northern Cardinal doesn’t migrate that much throughout the year-stays primarily in the U.S. and a few areas in Mexico year round. Blackburnian Warbler travels great distances- wintering primarily in South America and parts of Central America, and migrating to northern U.S. and Canada for breeding season. Scarlet Tanager winters in South America and migrates to central and eastern U.S. and parts of Canada during breeding season. Western Tanager winters along the coasts of Central America and Mexico and migrates to western U.S. and Canada during breeding season. Ruby-throated Hummingbird winters in Mexico and Central America and migrates to central and eastern U.S. and parts of Canada during breeding season-very spread out in those areas. Rufous Hummingbird winters in Mexico and migrates to coastal areas of western U.S. and Canada for spring, then spreads out southward into western U.S. in summer- perhaps following the food/flower supply. Yellow-bellied flycatcher winters in southern Mexico and Central America, and migrates to far northern portions of western, central and eastern Canada as well as New England. Sandhill Crane breaks up into different groups that winter in southern U.S., Mexico, and Florida; they summer in various parts of northern Canada and the U.S.-some birds remain in Florida all year round. Activity 2:  Birds that do not winter in my area that I have seen: Snowy Egret, Osprey, and Great Blue Heron. Birds that are found year-round in my area that I have seen: Peregrine Falcon, American Robin and Northern Cardinal. Activity 3: American Goldfinch in summer is bright yellow with black wings and tail and beak is bright orange; in winter their yellow is muted and blended with beige-their beaks are brown/black. Common Loons in summer have strikingly beautiful white and black stripes and checker pattern on neck and body,  black head/hood with a teal band around the neck, black beak; in winter the dorsal side of bird is a muted brown/black and the underside from beak to tail is white, whitish beak with black blended in part of it. Activity 4: Favorite birding spot is DeKorte Park wetlands. Expect to see now in September but won’t see them in March: Laughing Gull, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Osprey, Snowy Egret, Spotted Sandpiper.

Activity 1: House Sparrow: small, round body and round head with hardly any visible neck, small but sturdy beak, medium length tail. Blue Jay: medium-sized oval-shaped body, longer but thinner beak than sparrow, visible crest on head, has a short neck. Activity 2: Northern Mockingbird: Gray/brown medium thin body, roundish head, beige under body/belly, thin medium-sized black beak, dorsal side of wings are black with wide white stripes/bars, long tail.  Song Sparrow: small round brown body with black streaks, black bib, small stout black beak, whitish underbelly, round head with white cheeks and gray crown, medium length tail. Red-winged Blackbird: sleek black body and head, pointy black beak, black wings with bright red epaulettes where yellow lower edges are lined with yellow, fan-like black tail. Activity 3: European Starling eating at feeder stays in one place picking up one large seed at a time in its beak, chews and swallows it before picking up another seed; leaves feeder carrying one seed in its beak. Northern Cardinal hangs on the feeder with small seeds, pecks at it then moves to the feeder with large seeds after the starling leaves, picks up one large seed and flies away.  Pileated Woodpecker hangs on the side of bird feeder consistently pecking deep into the feeder for seed, flies away, then comes back and repeats the same pecking behavior. Activity 4: Northern Cardinal: Large oval-shaped red body with long red tail with black blended in, pointy red tuft/crest on red head, head has mask around thick short orange beak, black beard, black blended into the wings, seen in my backyard sitting on a fence post.