Nature Photography by Lizabeth Allyn

Bird Links and Resources

Want to find where you can watch your favorite birds? Try the new site Birdpost, where you can view maps where others have spotted our feathered friends. A nice feature of this site are the regional checklists, especially if you're traveling to a new area. Pennsylvania has 312 species listed in its regional bird checklist.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the preeminent research facility in the world where scientists discover interesting things about birds. If you are looking for the latest in avian research trends, the Cornell Lab should be the first place to look for information about birds.

If the birders in your family are young, why not download the Cornell Lab's Bird Coloring Book? It's a great way to involve children in learning about the birds in their neighborhood!

If you are interested in the scientific study of birds, a good starting place is BIRDNET — a great Web site with plenty of links to ornithological societies.

The Peregrine Falcon Page of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has a lot of great information about the once federally endangered bird. Pennsylvania still lists the peregrine falcon as endangered until their populations recover more fully. Live camera shots of nesting falcons are posted to the falcon page every two minutes.

Want to know what bird species are found in your state? Visit the Online Bird Checklists Map and click on your state. You will get a listing of the scientific names, orders, families, and common names of all the birds in your state. The list can be copied to a spreadsheet so that you can keep track of the birds you have seen and identified. I was surprised to see that Pennsylvania has 397 bird species!

The Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter, a production of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD (a part of the US Geological Survey, US Department of the Interior) provides a huge amount of information on our feathered friends. You will find a great listing of North American birds organized by family. Clicking on a species name, like Bald Eagle, will bring up a page of information including the scientific name of the species, tips to help you identify male, female, and immature birds, color photographs, population maps, life history information like clutch size and diet, and even songs and calls for most species.

Want to get a free magazine about birds? Visit the American Birding Association to learn about bird conservation and education programs, like shade-grown coffee, birding festivals, and birding trails. While you are there, request a free back issue of one of three Birding Publications. The American Birding Association's goal is to "inspire all people to enjoy and protect wild birds."

The ABA website provides a wonderful listing of Volunteer Birding Opportunities that would make great projects for Scouting and school organizations. Click on the 'Directory Index' and then on your geographic area to see some of the 600 ongoing projects needing volunteers.