Bird & Nature Blog

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A Beginner's Guide to Bird ID

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In this week’s Entryway to Birding blog, I’m going to share some simple and practical tips to help you ID birds in the field—especially when you’re out there on your own. It may feel intimidating without a field trip leader or fellow birders beside you to help you out, but don’t let that hold you back from trying to improve your skills. I’ll show you how to use the Merlin ID app to help give you a great place to start with your IDs.

None of my advice is new or groundbreaking, but I hope it can give you a little more confidence if you’ve been flustered by an overwhelming amount of birds (it’s really a good problem to have!). When you’re birding solo as a beginner, you may not be able ID everything you see, but if you keep at it, you’ll find you improve with each and every attempt.

Let’s get started!

Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt

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Kids and the Curiosity Seed

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Harry and his family moved on to another air base and many years passed. Thirty or so years later, I asked Mom whatever happened to Harry Greene. Funny you should ask, she said, I'll send you the latest copy of the Smithsonian magazine and you'll see for yourself. That issue announced a series of lectures by Professor Harry Greene coinciding with the publication of his evolutionary study of snakes (like all the snakes in the world). Harry has become one of the world's most prominent herpetologists and is now an advocate for re-wilding parts of the West. He is now a Professor Emeritus at Cornell. His massive and beautifully illustrated evolutionary study of snakes is entitled Snakes (simple enough).

Photo by Dave Thomas FCC

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The Many Ways to Bird

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Have you seen a lot of cars pulled off onto the side of country roads lately? Have you wondered what they’re up to? If there’s a pond or wet, muddy field nearby, chances are they’re birding.

In previous weeks on our Entryway to Birding blog, I’ve probably made birding sound a lot like a walk in the woods with some binoculars. That’s not an inaccurate depiction by any means—but it’s also not a complete one.

Birding is a versatile and accessible hobby that can be done in more ways than one. If your intention is to look or listen for birds, then congratulations! You’re birding—even if you aren’t in the woods, even if you don’t have binoculars, even if you haven’t left your house.

Here’s a round-up of just a few of the many other ways you can bird.

Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt

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Earth Day Birding

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Welcome back to the Entryway to Birding blog! After some colder temps last week, things are starting to trend warmer and it’s really feeling like spring. Spring peepers have been peeping, new blooms are coming up, and exciting birds are making some pit stops in Madison as they travel through during spring migration.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve started to lose track of time. Several weeks have gone by since COVID-19 sparked a complete upheaval of our daily routines. It’s hard to believe all the adjustments Wisconsinites have made in such a short amount of time (which simultaneously feels like an eternity)! Our social distancing efforts are paying off, though, and it’s important that we continue to hold our course and limit our contact with others as much as we can, for the benefit of everyone.

There’s an important day coming up, though, that I don’t want us to forget about in the midst of our strange reality. A day that is perhaps feeling more important to us that ever—Earth Day.

Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt

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We are Not Alone

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We are Not Alone

The plague has reminded us how important human contact is — physical, familial, emotional — and how painful the loss of that can be. We need to be reminded that we are not alone and how we can maintain contact with one another. Thanks to Matt, Brenna, Carolyn, Caitlyn, Becky, and John of Madison Audubon's staff as they create new ways to reach out to our members, volunteers, and friends during these uniquely trying times.

Madison Audubon is not alone either. I thought a review of some of our organizational friends, partners, and allies might make for a few moments of happy reading (and some ideas of some new places to spend time outdoors).

Photo by Drew Harry

 
 
 
 
 
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