Shorebird ID Made Super Simple

  Get ready for shorebirds to start migrating north in late winter with an innovative chart that makes shorebird ID much easier. Shorebirds aren’t easy to identify. But with a comparison of bodies, beaks and legs in a Rockette-like line-up the differences between that Willet and Yellowlegs and the Sanderling and Dunlin are readily apparent. Who knew […]

Join The 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count!

Watching birds and reporting what you see during the annual Great Backyard Bird Count is a great reason to get outside in winter! Each February, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society ask people to spend at least 15 minutes over a 4-day period to watch birds and report every bird they see. […]

Make the ID: Magnolia vs Canada Warbler

Fast-moving warblers in spring can often look similar.  You see a flash of bright yellow underneath and a necklace…..which is it – Magnolia or Canada Warbler? Here are a few tips to help you decide. Necklace: the streaky necklace on Magnolia Warblers extends under the wings; Canada Warblers have a very short, thinner necklace Eye-ring: Canada […]

Join the Great Backyard Bird Count

  No matter where you are February 18-21, you can help birds by joining tens of thousands of birders from around the globe who are counting, and reporting birds during that time period to eBird for the Great Backyard Bird Count. The info reported helps scientists keep track of bird population numbers and locations. Just by doing […]

Why We Didn’t Know Female Birds Sing

When you started learning to identify birds, which plumage and songs did you learn? Most likely it was males. In some respects, it makes sense as males defend territories with their vibrant songs and their breeding plumage is usually more unique and flashier than female plumage for a reason – females need to be inconspicuous […]

Help Birds on Migratory Bird Day

Want to help birds and have fun at the same time? Migratory Bird Day is October 9 – it’s also a Big Day – when birdwatchers around the globe go birdwatching and submit their sightings on eBird. This gives the folks at Cornell Lab of Ornithology a snapshot of what birds are where around the world. It […]

Fall Warbler Identification Tips

Some warblers can look so different from spring to fall, it’s hard to believe they are the same species! In spring, the songbirds we see coming through North America are stunning. Males are all bright and crisp – some with outrageously bright colors designed to attract females. But after a grueling spring migration and breeding season, a lot […]

Make the ID: Red-breasted vs White-breasted Nuthatch

There are four species of Nuthatches in North America, but the two most widespread species are Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches. These compact little steel-blue birds, often found hanging in some acrobatic fashion around feeders, other times, lifting up bark to insert a seed and then hammering it open to “hatch” the seed, are great to […]

Make the ID: Coopers vs Sharp-shinned Hawk

Whether lurking around and storming feeders or streaking through the trees after a bird, these fairly common raptors are both beautiful and aggressively resist identification. Determining if you are looking at a Coopers or Sharp-shinned Hawk can be really confusing. If this happens to you, don’t worry as even experts aren’t always on the mark. […]

Make the ID: Downy vs Hairy Woodpecker

Two woodpeckers who look very much alike are busy inspecting tree bark around North America looking for food. Both look natty in their checkered plumage, but how to tell them apart? Beak Size: The most pronounced field mark is beak size. Downys have small beaks – almost unnaturally so, and Hairys have much larger thorn-like beaks. Size: Hairys […]

City Birds You May Not Know Are Around You

Common Yellow-throat Illustration by David Sibley When cities are quiet, we can easily hear the birds around us.  This illuminating article from the New York Times helps us learn about 13 birds we live in close proximity with but may never have seen.  With stunning images by David Sibley and informational sonograms of bird calls from Donald Kroodsma, this article […]

BOOK REVIEW: Birdsong For The Curious Naturalist: Your Guide to Listening, by Donald Kroodsma

Released just as spring migration is starting, this timely book bringsunderstanding and learning birdsong to a new level. Don Kroodsma is a world-renown authority on birdsong. And apart from understanding it he knows the positive effect of an immersive nature experience. Birdsong For the Curious Naturalist opens with the line “birdsong fills our lives with beauty and […]

Fall Warbler Identification

Yellow-rumped Warbler Photo Credit:Deborah Rivel What is THAT bird?  This is the annual cry of frustration from many a birder during fall migration, when spring’s flashiest male birds are sporting more muted attire. These birds have had a very busy spring and summer finding a mate, defending their territory and raising chicks – all of which requires […]

Make the ID:  White-winged Crossbill vs Pine Grosbeak

These two red finches both share a similar attraction to seeds. White-winged Crossbill Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila They also overlap in range, preferring the far north and into Canada, and sometimes telling the difference between them can be challenging. Here are a few tips to make the right ID between these winter favorites — White-winged Crossbills and Pine Grosbeaks: Pine Grosbeak Photo […]

Make the ID: Common Goldeneye vs Bufflehead

Make the ID:  These two beautiful ducks can be found in the same areas, and at a distance, or in poor light on their own,  can be confusing.  Common Goldeneye Photo Credit:  Stan Tekeila Both Buffleheads and Common Goldeneyes have iridescent green on their heads and shocks of white.  And while Common Goldeneyes do indeed have golden […]

Get a Headstart on Spring By Learning Bird Calls Now

Gray Catbird/Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Up your birding ID game this spring by starting now to learn to ID birds by their songs. Often birds are only heard, and by recognizing their calls you can easily add more birds to your list. Not all birds have calls that are instantly recognizable – like the unmistakable call […]

Make a Difference – Sign Up For the Christmas Bird Count!

Have a blast birdwatching and make a contribution to science by joining a Christmas Bird Count in your area.  Photo Credit: Camilla Cerea/Audubon This marks the 119th year since Audubon co-opted the annual bird shoot and make it into a much bird-friendlier bird count! This year you can join over 70,000 people in the US, Canada, Latin America, […]

The Year of the Bird in July – Take A Kid Into Nature

Photo Credit:Meghan Kearney, USFWS This month in the Year of the Bird, we encourage you to get your kids or kids you know out into nature.  If you love birds, teaching a child how to bird can create both an understanding of and interest in nature which can translate into a lifelong passion for him […]

Owling By Sound

Owl ID: Owling By Sound Owls are primarily nocturnal creatures, so your best chance of seeing them is going to be at night when they are most active.  You may get quiet flyovers as they check you out, which are especially exciting when there is a bright moonlit sky, and you may sometimes find them […]

ID Tips: Downy vs Hairy Woodpeckers

ID TIPS:  Downy vs Hairy Woodpeckers While it’s easy to identify a Pileated Woodpecker (think Woody Woodpecker) or a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, two smaller and very common woodpeckers provide a challenge to even more experienced birders. So… how to tell the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers apart? The little Downy Woodpecker (pictured here) is around 6.5 inches […]

ID Tips – Loons vs Mergansers

ID Tips – Loons vs Mergansers  Common Loons and Red-breasted Mergansers Common Loon and chick are beautiful waterfowl which many associate with the Northern Woods, as they typically breed on these fresh-water lakes. Both birds are found in similar territories year round.  During breeding season they have more  distinctive markings. But sometimes the Red-breasted Merganser […]

Warbler ID Tips

Warbler ID Tips – Magnolia vs Yellow-Rumped  It’s spring migration! As warblers are passing through where you are, or the overwintering species are now in their Magnolia Warbler breeding plumage, some of these birds can be a little challenging to ID. Iconic Yellow Warblers are easy to recognize with their overall yellow body and red […]

Sandhill vs Whooping Crane ID

Easy ID – Sandhill vs Whooping Crane Every March, Sandhill Cranes descend on Nebraska’s Platte River which is a favored feeding area during migration for tens to hundreds of thousands of cranes. The other species of crane in North America is the Whooping Crane.  But, unlike Sandhill Cranes, Whooping Cranes are endangered.  So, if you assumed the cranes […]

Eagle ID Tips

Eagle ID Tips Making the ID between a Bald Eagle and a Golden Eagle is simple, right?  After all, don’t Bald Eagles have a white Adult Golden Eagle head?  And don’t Golden Eagles only live in the western US? Well, yes and no.  If you use just these two parameters in your ID, you will likely […]

Crow or Raven? How to Make the ID

Common Raven In winter, corvids, which include crows and ravens, are easy to spot and are fairly common. At a distance, both look very similar, and their all-black plumage makes identification tricky. With these tips and some practice, you’ll be able to separate crows and ravens with ease. If in doubt, remember that it’s easier […]

Wading Bird ID 101

Wading Bird ID 101 This summer if you are near fresh or salt water, you will likely see wading birds. Many of the larger waders  are easy to identify if you just know the basics.  If you are new to finding and identifying these long-legged herons, egrets and cranes, here are a few tips to […]

Owling 101

Late autumn and winter are great times to look for owls.   Owls are nocturnal so the best time of day to start looking for them is right around sunset when they start getting active. Unless you already know where an owl roosts during the day, they are seriously difficult to find in daylight when they […]

Tricky Fall Migration

Fall Birding sure is a lot different than spring. One challenge is that fall migration takes place after breeding Molting Male Goldfinch season, so many migrants are in their “basic”, or non-breeding plumage. Males that were bright and colorful in the spring and summer are now either becoming or are already dull and brown. For […]

Shorebirds Made Easy

  This month, many shorebirds are nesting in the high northern latitudes. A few species, such as Killdeer and Piping Plovers, nest in the Continental United States, but most are in northern Canada and Alaska, nesting on the tundra. Shorebirds are amazing, but many birders ignore this Sanderling dynamic group of birds because they are […]