Karen

Activity 1: This course has made me more aware of the lives of birds. I understand a bit more about what's going on when I see and hear birds. I appreciate more about birds globally and their lives away from my local area. As the course states, birds are an important part of the overall functioning of the ecosystem and are much more that beautiful to look at and hear. Activity 2: We live on 5 acres of mostly undeveloped land and plan to leave it that way. The trees and shrubs on our property are home to many birds. One thing I could do is look for shade grown coffee. Activity 4: I would like to get out with my local naturalist group when lifting of restrictions allows for it. As a result of this course and the influence of a birding friend, I now take pictures of birds, identify them, and submit to e-bird on a more regular basis.

Hi, all from western Canada! Here we are closing in on the end of this wonderful course. Activity 1: In lieu of filed notes, I attempt to take pictures of the birds I see and identify them at home with the help of Merlin. I mentally keep notes on the habitat and activity of the birds I observe.  I can't seen myself taking pen and paper on my walks. Perhaps if I was observing from my deck or backyard I might be more inclined to do so. Activity 2: I joined a Facebook group for a local naturalist group. Most posts are about birding and people post on rare bird sightings. It's a great resource for help with identifying birds. I have yet to meet any of the people in person but hope to do so as things open up.    

Hi, again, all!  I live in Western Canada. This has been a great course. Activity 1:  Instead of keeping field notes, I bought a camera to photograph birds then identify them at home with the help of E-bird.  I keep mental notes of the bird's habitat and behaviour. If it's a new-to-me bird, I post it in my local naturalist Facebook site and see if I got the identification right. Once it's confirmed, I post the picture on my Facebook site along with date, and location. I also submit my bird sitings to E-bird as a way of keeping track.  I'm new to birding and this is the approach that is working for me so far. I think the most important part of a tracking system is one that you will actually do. Activity 2: I belong to a local naturalist group that has a focus on birds. I participated in my first bird count event with them a couple weeks ago. I've seen ads for local Christmas bird counts and could sign up this coming year. I know the bird groups are out there - it's up to me to connect.

I like your story about the Red-winged Blackbirds. I see them a lot in the cat tails around a small lake I walk by every day.

Acitivy 1: This week I was able to identify a couple new birds with the help of my new camera, Merlin, a friend and a naturalist facebook page.  The new birds I identified: A Barrows Golden Eye duck (camera and Merlin); an American Pippit (camera and naturalist fb page); Dark Eyed Junco (camera and naturalist FB page).  I was able to identify osprey by their sound. I hear many song birds but can't identify them by their sound yet. Except for the Western Meadowlark. activity 3: Birds I didn't know are in my area: Trumpeter Swan; The Mourning Dove; Rufous Hummingbird; Calliope Hummingbird; Sandhill Crane. The bar chart feature is very useful.

Hi, everyone. I'm enjoying the course so far and hope you all are, too.  I live in southeast British Columbia, Canada. Activity 1: I chose the Common Loon from the Wall of Birds because it's haunting call reminds me of canoe/camping trips on Arctic lakes. Activity 2: My first bird is the grouse which is in the Chicken-Like Group.  I hear them often when I'm waking in the provincial park next door to us. Occasionally, one flies up as I walk by.  My second bird the Mallard Duck from the Swimming Birds Group.  Mallards are plentiful on the nearby ponds and they are easy to identify! There are also lots of other ducks that I can't yet identify. My third bird is the Red Tail Hawk in the Raptor Group.  Again, it's fairly common and easy to identify. I love the way they soar. Activity 3: My two favourite birds in the neighbourhood are the Common Loon and a large brown hawk that I haven't yet identified. The hawk is one of my favourites because one took flight from a tree as I walked by and startled me, making me look up. This was a few weeks ago. I saw the beautiful bird take flight with a great whooshing of wings. As I watched it glide over the pond I saw 2 bald eagles also circling the pond. That's the moment my interest in bird watching was rekindled.