Nathan

• Activity 1 - When I was out photographing birds in one of the nearby forest preserves, I saw both a Great Egret and a Double-crested Cormorant. Although it was pretty easy to tell the difference between the two based on their colors, the egret is significantly larger and has much longer legs than the cormorant.
• Activity 2 - On the same outing, I found a couple of White-throated Sparrows as well as an Orange-crowned Warbler. These birds are similarly sized, but after looking up their distinguishing features, I learned that the White-throated Sparrow have a flash of yellow right around their eye, while the Orange-crowned Warbler doesn't and often has yellow on their lower tail feathers.
• Activity 3 - I saw many different food-finding behaviors when I was out looking for birds. Mallards and geese were out in the lakes searching for food near the surface of the water, and I saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and White-breasted Nuthatch up along the tree trunks searching for insects!

• Activity 4 - My favorite bird is the Blue Jay, and they are very easy to identify in my area by their striking blue and black colors, average size, and well-known (and loud!) song. They seem to like foraging in both trees and on the ground, and are also common at feeders.

Activity 1: I’ve really enjoyed looking through the Wall of Birds and learning about so many different species of birds I’ve never heard of before - it’s hard to pick favorites (especially with such beautiful illustrations!). The Whiskered Treeswift of Southeast Asia caught my eye with its striking colors and whiskers! Apparently treeswifts are closely related to the swifts mentioned in this lesson, but are distinguished by their crests and/or whiskers. Having seen videos of the Birds of Paradise online, I also read about the King-of-Saxony Bird-of-Paradise and its incredible “head streamers.” I am so amazed by the colors and unique characteristics of this family of birds!   Activity 2: One of my favorite birds is the Cedar Waxwing, which I have seen and heard a couple of times when traveling to the northwoods of Wisconsin. They aren’t in any of the groups we’ve learned about so far, but the Wall of Birds has them as their own family, named for the red tips on their feathers. A bird I see almost every day is the House Sparrow - they seem to be almost everywhere in suburban areas! They’re part of the Old World Sparrows family along with the Eurasian Tree Sparrow. Hairy Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers are also great fun to watch. I read about them in my field guide. Although they are very similar looking, I learned that you can distinguish them by the size of their bills.   Activity 3: It’s been awhile since I’ve seen one, but I frequently hear the recognizable calls of Blue Jays around where I live (upper Midwest). They have quickly become one of my favorite birds to watch and photograph with their striking blue and black plumages. I had lots of fun watching several Blue Jays in the mornings when I was on vacation in Wisconsin. I'm quite happy with how this one turned out!