✧ Bird Log ✧

    I've recently begun identifying and logging the birds in my area using the Merlin app from Cornell University. To the right are all of the birds I have noted so far, in alphabetical order. Once I get my old digital camera working, I plan to try to take photos of each one and write a little blurb about them. For now, this page will be a work in progress as I continue logging more birds. Click the common name of any bird you want to see/read about!

Common Name	Scientific Name
American Robin	Turdus migratorius
American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis
Black-Capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus
Blue Jay	Cyancitta cristata
Chipping Sparrow	Pizella passerina
Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula
House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus
House Wren	Troglodytes aedon
Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura
Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis
Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus
Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus
Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus
Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia
Warbling Vireo	Vireo gilvus
White-Breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinesis

Killdeer

    I've decided to begin with killdeer, as they are the most prevalent bird in my yard and I see probably dozens a day. These birds sound like this and they never stop making noise. The instant I step outside I am bombarded with intermittent killdeer calls and there's so many, that it sometimes drowns out other bird calls. I usually see them in groups of 3-5, just wandering around near the water's edge. They scuttle around down there, screaming to their heart's content and tossing their heads back as they do it. They're pretty small and unassuming, but fun to watch. They are also the first birds to let me get close enough to photograph, which is nice.