Birding 101: Birding by Ear

When we started bird watching, I thought being able to distinguish between bird songs was some kind of special ability that only truly gifted naturalists possessed.  I never imagined that the boys and I would be able to quickly and easily identify a long list of birds just by hearing their songs/calls.

Birding by ear took birding to a whole new level for us, and I highly recommend you take some time to listen to recordings and do memory work indoors so that you can have greater success while outdoors.  It's a lot more fun than it sounds.

Mnemonics have helped us greatly, and over at Olive Plants, I published a little piece about it last year.  Rather than write a new post, I'll just link you to it.  Fly on over to get a list of our favorite mnemonics and other birding by ear resources!

Though slow-going, this series is not dead!  Subscribe or follow so you won't miss any of our future posts on how to teach your kids to use a field guide, write bird stories, keep a birding journal and life list, and much more!

Consider keeping a journal of the birds you hear or see this month and Tweet and See with Heather.  You can link in with other bird enthusiasts on the last day of each month.  I really enjoy reading the reports of birders from Georgia to Washington.  Maybe one day we'll be able to read reports from around the world!

Until we tweet again....
Dawn

Tweet and See: June 2011

Visit Kingdom Arrows
for more Tweet and See fun!

We had a great month of birding.  The backyard is still in disarray as my husband is completing a backyard remodel which includes the removal of a rather large magnolia tree. 

The Magnolia Tree sans Branches
The trunk is about to go soon.  :(

However, I am an English tutor who travels to the homes of my students.  While driving around town this month, I saw lots birds.  Then, on the last day of June, we went to a local state park (one of my favorite local spots) and identified 39 species.  Some were on the list already, but most were new additions.

One of the birds I saw in a student's neighborhood: the Killdeer!
My husband took this picture at the lake,
not in the subdivision, however.

Here's our list:

1. Killdeer
2. Barn Swallow
3. Carolina Wren
4. Brown Thrasher
5. Northern Mockingbird
6. American Robin
7. Eastern Bluebird
8. Blue Jay
9. Belted Kingfisher
10. Great Blue Heron
11. Red-headed Woodpecker
12. Black Vulture
13. Turkey Vulture
14. Broad-winged Hawk
15. Chipping Sparrow
16. Red-bellied Woodpecker
17. Pileated Woodpecker
18. Downy Woodpecker
19. Eastern-wood PeeWee
20. Osprey
21. Bank Swallow
22. Snow Goose
23. Fish Crow
24. American Crow
25. Tree Swallow
26. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
27. Great-crested Flycatcher
28. Common Grackle
29. Palm Warbler
30. Pine Warbler
31. Canada Goose
32. Eastern Kingbird
33. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
34. Catbird
35. Brown-headed Nuthatch
36. Cape May Warbler
37. Northern Parula
38. Eastern Phoebe
39. Mallard
40. Mourning Dove
41. Tufted Titmouse
42. House Sparrow
43. Rock Dove
44. Green Heron
45. Cowbird

Hubs took this pix during our birding outing.
This is one of his faves.
The bluebird really is looking at two
eastern kingbirds.
That's not a digital trick!

The Best Birdie Moments:

1. While stopped at a red light on a main thoroughfare, a red-headed woodpecker landed in front of our car, grabbed a bit of food, and flew off just as we started to move again.  
2. Killdeer have nested in the brush behind the house of one of my students.  The "dad" hops around the back porch, singing away, while I tutor.  From time-to-time the "baby" comes out to sing, too,.  VERY CUTE!
3. While driving from one student's house to another, I saw a bird perched on a wire, quickly found a place to pull over, and spotted the broad-winged hawk!
4. One of my students went with us to the state park, and we had a great time teaching him how to identify birds!  After we left the state park, I decided spur-of-the-moment to drive over to a local marina.  Sitting on the edge of a pond beside the marina was the green heron on our list.  My student got to see LOTS of interesting birds that day!  Too bad the camera batteries had died by the time we reached the marina.

Favorite Pictures

Eastern Kingbird





Canada Geese

We THINK this is a female
Brown-headed Cowbird.

She was hanging out with this male cowbird.

More Cowbirds

If you think we're right,
please let us know.
If you know we're wrong,
please help.

Red-headed woodpeckers
were common visitors this month.

I think they're just beautiful!

Another beauty...
The Great Crested Flycatcher!

Happy Tweeting!

Dawn

Tweet and See May 2011

Visit Heather where you can find
links to more birding reports.

Has it really been a month since I last wrote on this blog?!?

There hasn't been much time for blogging this month and there has been even less time for birding.  My husband is in the middle of a backyard project which involves the removal of a rather large magnolia tree.

I'm 90% happy about this project of his because it also involves the removal of a rickety old fence and a broken down picnic table.  However, as a true southern gal, it was a life-long dream of mine to have a magnolia tree in the backyard.  It is a wonderful place for hanging a variety of feeders and provides great shade for us and for the birds. 

However, our yard is very small, and the tree really is too big for our space.  I always wanted a magnolia tree in my backyard but do not want one as my back yard.  That is why it is so easy for me to be 80% happy about its removal.

Also, it drops leaves year round which creates a huge and constant mess to clean up, and we can't get any grass to grow.  Our backyard looks like a wasteland, and we think it is due to the tree.

So, please, don't hate us, but she has to go.  And really, I am 70% happy about it.

All of that is to say, the birds have not visited us much this month, and we have not had time to go looking for them either.  I think this is our smallest bird list to date, not just since the beginning of Tweet and See but since we started birding almost six years ago!

It may be small, but here it is:

1. American Robin
2. American Crow
3. House Sparrow
4. Eastern Bluebird
5. Blue Jay
6. Eastern Towhee
7. Red-bellied Woodpecker
8. Kingfisher *
9. Prairie Warbler *
10. Eastern Phoebe *

* I heard these while tutoring.  One of my student's house is near the lake, and they keep the windows open.  I can hear the birds while I teach. 

I hope you had a better month bird-wise than I did and look forward to reading your reports!  And really, don't worry about me.  I'm easily 60% happy about the backyard project.

Happy Tweeting!
Dawn

I'm a Bird Brain!

I accidentally posted my Tweet and See list for April over at my homeschool blog, Olive Plants.  You can click on over to read it.

Please forgive my faux pas.  I injured my eye last week and am still having some trouble seeing. 

Dawn

Ospreys

Today, we saw Ospreys
near the lake in our home county.

The state park we visited
has a ball field only a few feet from the lake.
The Ospreys are nesting on top of
the light poles surrounding the field.

We could not get an accurate count
but know that we saw at least four.

This particular park is large
and a boat dock is on the opposite side
from the ball field.

When not on these poles,
they were at the boat dock,
perched on near-by trees

It was difficutl to get a good picture
of them in flight;
however, they flew between the
ball field and the dock all morning.

It was a beautiful sight and enjoyable day!  We identified 43 species in all, and I will give the full report when I Tweet and See at the end of the month!

Happy Birding!
Dawn

Birds' Eye View

The Olive Plant boys,

a.ka. Orville and Wilbur,

completed a science fair project

about bird feeders.

If you are interested in reading about their project

and which color feeder attracted the most birds

in their experiment,

fly on over to Olive Plants!

Science Fair 2011
Birds' Eye View
by Orville and Wilbur

Watch Live Baby Eagles

In Iowa, there are 3 baby eagles about to be hatched.  You can watch it live here.  Every little while Mama bird gets up and readjusts her or the eggs.  They are supposed to be hatching within the next 24 hours. 

Disclaimer:  This is addictive. 

Heather