Tips for Today
Happy Spring!
The birds are singing loudly and happily that spring is here. After the snow-filled winter we have had, aren’t we all excited for spring?
I have been outside utilizing the Merlin Bird ID app on my smartphone. This free, locale-specific app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is full of details about our local birds. You can explore bird songs by doing a sound recording in your yard or along a nature trail. The Merlin app will note which birds are chirping in real time and offer suggestions on the identification(s). Once you have your list of birds, the app will share information on songs, habitat, migration range, coloration and size, feeding patterns, behavior, etc. Further, you can upload bird species photos and get help with identifications. Also, you can make a “life-list” and digital scrapbook of the birds you’ve discovered. The birds I’ve heard singing most frequently in my yard are the Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) and the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus). Which ones have you heard most often?
If you prefer a physical book, grab “The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America,” written and illustrated by bird expert David Allen Sibley. In-depth facts and vivid illustrations make this a must-have birding guidebook. Add some bird watching to your spring!