Nature Guides

"Only birds sing the music of heaven in this world."--Kobayashi Issi.

Identification (Key Sites)

• Cornell Ornithology (Bird) site.
• Audubon and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Covers all aspects, with emphasis on reporting and surveying populations/species.
• National Audubon Society. Key id resources (see also NAS links below):
  • Online Guide to North American Birds (National Audubon Society).
  • e-Bird: Audubon Birds: a Field Guide to North American Birds. iPad/iPhone app. Also other nature-related apps..
• Peterson Bird Field Guides (Peterson Field Guides site). Resources from the guide series publishers. Useful tools, including:
  • Peterson Bird Identifications. Uses system from Peterson Field Guide.
  • Selected Links. Good links to other birding resources.
• Birds (National Geographic). Lots of stuff and beautiful photographs.

Identification (Selected Sites)

• All About Birds (LiveScience.com).
• All Birds.com. Complete listing with topics (Identification, eggs, anatomy, bird shapes, feeding, etc.).
  • Birds Songs and Calls
  • Identification.
• American Bird Guide.
• Bird Identification (Birding.com).
• Bird List (e-Nature.com).
• Bird Identification (Ornithology.com). Includes links to other countries and continents. Includes:
  • Guide to Not Mis-Identifying Birds
  • Gull Identification Website
  • Feather Quest (feather identification)
  • Hummingbird Identification
• Bird Photos (Monte M. Taylor & Christopher H. Taylor). Good collection of photographs for identifying species. Organized for ease of use. Example: Finches.
• Identify Eastern U.S. Songbirds by Color (birdnature.com). Also has other ways to ID birds (i.e., behavior, location, classification). Includes checklists for a number of Eastern/Southern states, and info on: Extinct US Birds, Endangered US Birds, and Threatened US Birds. Seasonal Spectacles highlights seasonal, unusual exhibits of birds at various U.S. sites.
• Nutty Birdwatcher. Good site, primarily Eastern birds, but much general material, including: , foods, behaviors, flyways, migration tables, scientific names, various tables, and other resources. Also has: selected 1897-1907 birding articles from the magazine Birds and Nature. Some useful pages are:
  • Identification guides
  • Glossary for identification
  • Identification by Behavior & Where Seen
  • Wild Bird Checklists
• Visual Key for Bird Identification. Identify birds starting by shape (silhouette) matching.
• WhatBird.com.
• WildBirds.com.
• Winston's Bird Identification Guide.
• World Bird Guide. Database/guide to birds anywhere.

By Breed or Type

• Birds of the Toledo Bend Lake Area (Toledo Bend Gallery). Birds are Louisiana (Southern/Western breeds) but some good examples and unique photos of bird activities. Birds arranged in categories, such as: Woodpecker Family Picidae.

Bird Census and Documentation

• North American Migration Flyways (Nutty Birdwatcher). Simple, clear maps showing each region.
• Flyways.US. Waterfowl management efforts across the U.S. Population surveys and monitoring programs, flyway maps and organization links, sections on bird identification, Comparative Size Charts (sample), and more (sample comparison image).
• Movements of Bird Populations (Audubon and Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Using GIS to track bird species and populations by inputting sightings and survey data.
• New York State Breeding Bird Atlas (NY DEC). Links to topo maps for census blocks; sort by species, counter ID, behavior, other.
• Bird Conservation Areas in New York State (DEC Map Collection). Maps and data.
• North American Breeding Bird Survey. "The BBS is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and the Canadian Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Research Centre to monitor the status and trends of North American bird populations. Following a rigorous protocol, BBS data are collected by thousands of dedicated participants along thousands of randomly established roadside routes throughout the continent. Professional BBS coordinators and data managers work closely with researchers and statisticians to compile and deliver these population data and population trend analyses on more than 400 bird species, for use by conservation managers, scientists, and the general public."
• Following Spring Migration (e-Nature). Track migrations and see what birds are moving for a given period. Select a region of the U.S., then pick a month from Jan. 1-June 29.

Societies & Organizations

All have ID and watching tips, info.

• National Audubon Society. See their Bird section.
  • Buffalo Audubon Society (my local region).
  • Birding the Net Screensaver. Show your feathers.
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
• Ornithological Council - BIRDNET
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
• Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
• Tools for Learning About Birds. Covers U.S. and Canada, Latin America; calls and songs, identification, habitats, maps, migrations. From the Bird Banding Laboratory (USGS. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center). See their Bird Identification Tips.
• Ducks at a Distance ID Guide to North American waterfowl (USGS. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center).
• Birds (Smithsonian. National Zoo).
• Birds.com.
• American Bird Conservancy
• American Birding Association. Excellent resources, including Birding News (by state, province). Also see their blog for local sightings, etc.
• Boreal Songbird Initiative
• Environmental Protection Agency - Bird Conservation
• Institute for Bird Populations

Bird Links

• Bird images, sounds, etc.
• Birds (Wikipedia).
• Breeding Bird Species Lists (USGS: Patuxent Wildlife Research Center). Covers North America. Also by the PWRC:
  • North American Bird Phenology Program. The NABPP houses a unique and largely forgotten collection of six million Migration Observer Cards that illuminate migration patterns and population status of birds in North America. These handwritten cards contain almost all of what was known of bird status from the Second World War back to the later part of the 19th century. The bulk of the records are the result of a network of observers who recorded migration arrival dates in the spring and fall that, in its heyday, involved 3000 participants.
  • Bird Identification page. Tools and links to resources on ID'ing birds.

Just for Kids

• Birds and Birding (Enchanted Learning.com).
• Birds (KidInfo.com).
• Baby Bird Rescue. What to do and not to do.
• Baby Birds & Eggs. Also what to do and not to do.

Other

Includes organizations, government agencies, and individuals. Many have guides and ID resources, including songs and calls, among others.

• Attracting Birds. Feeding, water supply, habitat creation/maintenance, bird houses, etc,
• Native Songbirds in Color and Sound. List of some of the more common songbirds.
• BirdNet, the Ornithological Information Source (Ornithological Council).
• Bird, Birds, Birds (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). Variety of resources, regulations, habitat articles, and more.
• BirdSource (a partnership of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and Audubon).
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
• Life Expectancy of Birds. List of longevity ranges for many bird types.
• NBII Bird Conservation Node.
• North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI).
  • Related Links. Great list of societies, government agencies, and other organizations relating to conservation, bird habitats, and other bird-related issues.
• North American Waterbird Conservation Plan.
• North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
• Partners in Flight.
  • PIF Landbird Population Estimates Database
  • Making Connections for Bird Conservation: Linking States, Provinces & Territories to Important Wintering and Breeding Grounds. Maps summarizing migratory connections between individual U. S. states, Canadian provinces & territories, and the regions that support the same birds at the other end of migration.
  • Maps. Includes ARCInfo files.
  • DoD Partners in Flight page. The U.S. Dept. of Defense plays a role in monitoring and collecting data of bird migrations, and on maintaining bird habitats on DoD lands.
• PRBO Conservation Science (Point Reyes Bird Observatory). Dedicated to conserving birds, other wildlife and ecosystems through innovative scientific research and outreach.
• Long Island Birding. But has more for North American bird identification.
• United States Shorebird Conservation Plan. Partners from state and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations from across the country pooled their resources and expertise to develop a conservation strategy for migratory shorebirds and the habitats upon which they depend. The plan provides a scientific framework to determine species, sites, and habitats that most urgently need conservation action.
• Utah Birds. Not just state-interest; beautiful photographs and other data.
• Migratory Birds Conservation (Environment Canada. Canadian Wildlife Service).
• Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN). All-Americas, mission to conserve shorebirds and their habitats through a network of key sites across the Americas.

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