Online Bird watching in Colorado Welcome class Online Bird watching in Colorado

Ring-necked Duck This bird’s common name (and its scientific name "collaris," too) refer to the Ring-necked Duck's hard-to-see chestnut collar on its black neck. It’s not a good field mark to use for identifying the bird, but it jumped out to the nineteenth century biologists that described the species using dead specimens. During fall migration, Ring-necked Ducks can form immense flocks. Several hundred thousand congregate each fall on certain lakes in Minnesota to feed on wild rice.

Picture of Ring-Necked Duck

Common Poorwill The Common Poorwill can slow its metabolic rate and drop its body temperature, going into a hibernation-like state known as "torpor." In periods of cold weather, a poorwill may stay in torpor for several weeks. Although probably not true hibernation, topor allows the bird to go long periods of time without food and can help it survive cold spells when its insect prey would not be active. Common Poorwills in the laboratory readily enter torpor when deprived of food.

Picture of a Common Poorwill

Cliff Swallow Although the Cliff Swallow can nest solitarily, it usually nests in colonies. Colonies tend to be small in the East, but further west they can number up to 3,700 nests in one spot. Within a Cliff Swallow colony some swallows lay eggs in another swallow's nest. Sometimes the swallow may lay eggs in its own nest and then carry one of its eggs in its bill and put it in another female's nest.

Bald Eagle Rather than do their own fishing, Bald Eagles often go after other creatures’ catches. A Bald Eagle will harass a hunting Osprey until the smaller raptor drops its prey in midair, where the eagle swoops it up. A Bald Eagle may even snatch a fish directly out of an Osprey’s talons. Fishing mammals (even people sometimes) can also lose prey to Bald Eagle piracy. See an example here. Had Benjamin Franklin prevailed, the U.S. emblem might have been the Wild Turkey. In 1784, Franklin disparaged the national bird’s thieving tendencies and its vulnerability to harassment by small birds. "For my own part,” he wrote, “I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. … Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District.”

Picture of a Bald Eagle

Burrowing Owl Unlike most owls in which the female is larger than the male, the sexes of the Burrowing Owl are the same size. Burrowing Owls often stow extra food to ensure an adequate supply during incubation and brooding. When food is plentiful, the birds' underground larders can reach prodigious sizes. One cache observed in Saskatchewan in 1997 contained more than 200 rodents.

White-breasted Nuthatch In winter, White-breasted Nuthatches join foraging flocks led by chickadees or titmice, perhaps partly because it makes food easier to find and partly because more birds can keep an eye out for predators. One study found that when titmice were removed from a flock, nuthatches were more wary and less willing to visit exposed bird feeders. If you see a White-breasted Nuthatch making lots of quick trips to and from your feeder – too many for it to be eating them all – it may be storing the seeds for later in the winter, by wedging them into furrows in the bark of nearby trees.

Picture of a White-Breasted Nuthatch

How Go birding by ear How to Go Birding by Ear It takes practice to effectively identify bird sounds. To begin birding by ear… Get Familiar: Listen to common bird calls and songs for your regional species so you know what tones and sounds to listen for in the field. Recordings are available from bird compilation CDs, websites, specialized books and electronic downloads. Use multiple resources to help you practice listening to bird songs and tune your ears to the right notes. If you can easily recognize the most familiar, common birds, you will be quicker to recognize when a bird sounds different.  Visit Early: Birds are more vocal with distinctive songs in the early morning since still, cool air will carry their songs further and louder. This also makes the songs easier to identify if you are birding early in the day. This is especially important during spring and early summer when birds are part of the dawn chorus, and more birds will be vocalizing.

Videos birding by ear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZE8vGhOs5c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9dy3rbBXJA

Birding by sight You need spot birds fast even smaller birds. Be able to know how to use your eyes to spot and then use your binoculars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_cy6-qKy3s&t=12s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvHHVh dRZtA

Up and down flight pattern Wood peckers: moderate rises and falls Finches: steep roller coaster pattern

Flapping VS Gliding Northern goshawks, sharp shinned hawks, and Coppers hawks: several wing flaps, then glide Buteo Red tail hawk: soaring sky pattern

Crow vs raven Crows perform several wing flaps and glide Ravens flap, then soar in the sky

Head on flight patterns Turkey vultures: shallow V Bald Eagles: hold their wings flat Red Tailed hawk: is somewhat flat but not completely flat Most hawks and eagles hold their wings flat

Alphabetical order vs taxnomic order Alphabetical order is not best way or either by arranging them by habitat. By trying to sort birds by color is hard, because both male female and young are different colors. Because Alphabetical order in no help if you don’t know birds name. Because these birds have different habitats. Taxonomic order is largely used in bird identification because of the association between species in families; however, a downside to this categorization occurs when scientists make discoveries which change bird names or the family they belong to.

The best way to Study Birds Is through your book. By studying bird families here, you can become more familiar with the field as you go out. Illustrations are important in learning how to identify the field marks of birds. Bill shape Facial pattern Body size Manner of flight

Finding The Correct Bird Guide Fundamentals: your guide should detail the different bird family groups, and information on where and when you can find each bird. Photos can aid you in identifying birds in the field, but some people prefer and work better with illustrations. Some field guides only cover birds from America. Others cover birds all over world. Popular field guides: Stokes Peterson Sibley National Geographic Wildlife Federation.