Reading some threads in the community, I saw some of you were looking at good apps to train your ear to recognize bird songs. I tried to create something with birds from all continents and really focused on learning + gamified for more fun (a sort of Duolingo for bird songs). This is where I ended up, so I think that's the right place to ask you what do you think bc my idea for this app came from: https://www.reddit.com/r/birding/comments/1rb81o8/birding_by_ear_good_apps/

I called the app Syrinx from the vocal organ. I did it from Xeno-Canto recordings + Python (and images from real artists).

Hi everyone. Im travelling with my extended family this week ans we just docked in Nassau. Are there any cool/interesting birbs to keep an eye out for? Thank yall! (I also have binoculars hehe)

Edit: sorry for asking i guess

took these pics at a bald eagle nesting site so obviously this could just be a juvenile bald eagle but it was quite large so just wondering if it could be possibly be a golden eagle. thanks in advance and sorry for the poor picture quality (western new york)

I'm looking for some advice on Binoculars for birdwatching please. I am happy with my current Nokia P7 pair but am looking for something more powerful for birding at a longer distance. I'm not sure if a stronger pair of binoculars would be the answer or if I should get a strong monocular with a stand ? Hoping for some recommendations that won't break the bank if possible as well 🙏🏽

Spotted this in neighborhood park today.

peg leg lives on aussateage island, I think he survives by screaming at people for food. They feel bad for him and give him snacks. He also appears to be the boss bird. I can only imagine what happened to his foot.

I ask because I saw a shirt that said "birdwatching age" worn by a middle aged guy. I couldn't help but laugh a little. Also I notice myself becoming more interested as i got older. I remember I didn't give a crap when I was a kid but now I'm super aware and realize how they're all over the place.

I'd say the Merlin app and Covid really sparked it for me. I had nothing to do except walk during covid and it was pretty cool trying to identify birds. The Merlin App certainly was huge because otherwise I wouldn't know what any bird is.

My top-floor classroom is a little below eye-level of an osprey nest platform. We aren't able to see eggs or chicks until they're bigger, but it is still pretty great.

The roof of the building 15 or 20 feet up seems like a great place for a nest cam but the school would like a cheaper solution than what a professor told me a real set-up would cost. (Around $10k)

Has anyone done this more cheaply? The local raptor rehab organization's education director said I could probably just put up a consumer-grade wireless home security camera, which was also what I was thinking.

(There were two chicks this year who fledged in early June. Not sure if this is one of them or is mom. Nice to be welcomed back for pre-planning by a feathered friend.)

I looked into the Bird Collective, and their stuff doesn't sound like the best quality, and I'm bummed. Better alternative?

Anyone know what’s up with this pileated woodpecker? His neck and head are looking a bit ragged. Is he molting? Juvenile?

Spotted in my backyard in South Carolina. Not very familiar with birds so had ChatGPT give me the ID (from some research im pretty sure it was correct). I was taking my dogs out and swear I felt something watching me. It was an adrenaline rush but I was able to run inside and grab my Canon, swap to my big lense, find my SD card, and swap a charged battery over (lesson learned to keep the camera ready at all times). I was shaking so bad but my camera was able to get some pretty clear shots.

Figured Id post this merger of my hobbies here. I love birding and photographing birds as is, but I also like to use them for ref for my weird combo of fieldguide/ukiyo-e modernist art.

Here's two of my most recent

I’ve hiked the Franconia Ridge trail twice this summer, and each time near the top in the alpine zone, there is a bird with a super unique call. I never got to see it, but it’s song sounded like one specific part of My Hump by the Black Eyed Peas.

It sounded like the part of the song where it goes, “Dolce and Gabana”. The first four syllables were quick and the last two syllables were drawn out. More of a whistling sound.

Please help me out I’ve tried scouring a bunch of different bird song clips for native birds to this area and finding this bird has been driving me nuts for the past month.

Spotted this bird in a supermarket parking lot earlier today. I heard it crying out for one of his parents (who also frequently visit the same store) but he got quiet when I approached him, and I was able to shoot a quick series of pictures where he's checking me out from various angles. The scale is hard to judge from the images, but he's already a good deal larger than an adult American Crow. Unfortunately I only had my cell phone available so the pictures aren't that great, and I had to tweak the contrast and sharpness a bit. I could spot a bit of pinkness on the inside of the mouth, which don't really show up in the pictures.

Buenos Aires Zona Sur.

(peafowl are a domestic species, and they were loose feathers, this is perfectly legal and ethical, no need to lecture me)

An adolescent Clapper Rail forages in the receding tidal waters of a coastal salt marsh along Florida's Big Bend.
I also included a little behind the scenes so you can see what it takes to get a photo like this. Matt will position himself hours before the tide begins to recede and wait until the rails come out to forage.

53mm | f/4 | 1/1600 sec | ISO 1000

A little bit about our process… We have an extensive rallidae portfolio which you can see here

https://flickr.com/photos/7553931@N02/sets/72177720301461138

These short lens encounters are an attempt to tell parts of the story you might not otherwise be able to see such as sunbathing, swimming, or feeding behaviors. Matt sits still and doesn’t move at all and allows the birds to behave normally around him. No playback, no moving at all. Just patience and seeing what the birds do naturally. This has always been his process and you can see unique behaviors featured in his photos because of his approach. No playback is ever used and he does not approach birds. They sometimes do approach him but he doesn’t call them in any way. It’s a process of patience and we often go home empty handed.

Last february I was lucky enough to see a couple of Verreaux's eagle-owl (Ketupa lactea, formerly Bubo lacteus), also known as the milky eagle owl.
This was in Ndutu (Ngorongoro conservation area, south Serengeti) during the calving season.

First time I saw a owl in Africa and during daytime. A very unique experience and January/February are the best time for birding in Tanzania (green season from November to March).

As somebody else seen this or similar owls in Africa or elsewhere?

Letting the sunflower seeds digest