BIRD IDENTIFICATION SITES
All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s suite of information. Includes identifcation (Merlin Bird ID linked below), sounds and calls, classes, and so much more. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/
Merlin Bird ID - Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s application that helps with identification. A great tool in the field on your smartphone! https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
Audubon Guide to North American Birds - Audubon also has a really nice interactive web page and application for helping with bird identifications. https://www.audubon.org/birds
iNaturalist - Are you on iNaturalist yet? This is a citizen scientist website with software capable of helping ID animals, plants and fungi. People will also help identify your birds. https://www.inaturalist.org/
BIRD FEATHERS:
Koaw Nature’s Feather ID Walk-through - I show how to use the databases listed below to ID your feathers. It’s a fun process of discovery! https://www.koaw.org/featherid
Feather Atlas - This is a database created by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Forensics Laboratory. There are hundreds of species of North American birds in this database. Most species listed have the primary, secondary and tail feathers listed. This database provides detailed information and photos of the feather placement, sex and estimated age of bird specimens. https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/
Featherbase - This is a database listing global bird species. They have thousands of records on more than a thousand species. It’s large with a wealth of information. It is a German-based organization, therefore not all of the information is available in English. https://www.featherbase.info/
Slater Museum of Natural History - This is a digital collection from the University of Puget Sound listing wing and tail images. This is also a very well-done database. https://digitalcollections.pugetsound.edu/digital/collection/slaterwing/
OTHER BIRD INFORMATION LINKS - COMMUNITY SUGGESTED!
How to Get Kids Interested in Bird Watching - A practical guide for beginners and parents wanting to teach kids about bird watching. This is a great resource with many useful tips created by Hannah Miller. Learn about basic birding needs, etiquette, activities for children, and more! https://diygardening.co.uk/bird-watching-for-kids
"A Kid's Guide to Building a Backyard Birdhouse" - Offers a simple guide yet practical guide to build a birdhouse! A great classroom or family activity. This resource was suggested by Mia and her mom; Mia, a member in Jaclyn’s youth nature group, found this resource helpful during a group project. (grillio.com/blog/guide-to-building-a-birdhouse/)
Hummingbird Facts & Feeder/Attracting Tips - This useful hummingbird quick reference was discovered by Cassie, a Girl Scout who felt I should share this reference with you! So here it is. https://www.austinrealestate.com/fun-facts-about-hummingbirds-in-texas.php
All About Bald Eagles - This is a quick overview with many other links to the bald eagle. Hailey, 11, of the Martin family thought this would be a great resource to share with you. https://wizardpins.com/blogs/education/all-about-bald-eagles
Make A Bird Feeder from a Plastic Bottle - This is a nifty activity to do with kids to create a plastic bottle bird feeder. It’s a way to recycle and the page offers some interesting information on birds. This one is suggested by Nicole from the Friends of Bay Minette. Make Your Own Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder Bottlestore.com
GET INVOLVED WITH BIRDS
Project FeederWatch - This is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s citizen scientist project. Monitor the bird feeder in your yard at your leisure and report what you see to contribute important data on bird migrations and populations. https://feederwatch.org/