Great Resources
Useful tools to help you improve the health of your landscape
Cornell Ornithology Lab’s “All About Birds”
If you like to garden, then you probably like birds. But, do you always know what birds are visiting your garden and what they need to survive?
Once in a while a feathered visitor might appear that you have never seen before. Wouldn’t it be great if you could find an online resource to help you identify these creatures and figure out what they need in your landscape?
Look no further. The Cornell Ornithology Lab’s “All About Birds” database is at your fingertips. This terrific site allows you to search birds by shape or by name, and learn about each feathered wonder.
You will discover the key identification points for each bird, including:
– Size and Shape
– Color Pattern
– Behavior
– Field Marks
– Similar Species
– Regional Differences
A helpful selection of photos is included, showing both adult and juvenile phases, as well as photos of similar species, so you can tell the difference.
Another section explains issues relating to life history, including:
– Habitat
– Food
– Nesting
– Conservation
Finally, the site gives you both sound clips and video, so you have a clear idea as to how each bird looks and sounds.
You can find this great resource at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search
More Great Resources
The Xerces Society & Attracting Native Pollinators
Honey bees in decline, Monarch Butterflies in crisis, major threats to certain species of native bees – these are the stories we frequently see in the news these days. Wouldn’t it be great to support an organization whose mission it is to protect creatures like bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and other…
Backyard Foraging
In the past decade we have been inspired to “grow local – eat local.” Why not take this idea a step further and eat even more of Mother Nature’s Bounty? If you have been reading this blog, you know that I enthusiastically recommend a number of edible native plants. In…
Lasagna Gardening
There are a number of classic gardening books that have helped changed they way we garden. One such book is Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza, that explains a simple, yet powerful way to prepare plant beds organically. The book’s title borrows from the way lasagna is made – using a…


