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 Bird Watching Answer Book
Nothing announces Spring more joyfully than the bustle of birds in our landscape. Some are returning neo-tropical migrants and others are loyal year-round residents, likely very happy now that winter is finally over. As the air fills with birdsongs we become ever more conscious of the many species that inhabit…
Teaching Our Kids to Love the Earth: Inspiring Books by Melissa Stewart
In the past 16 years, accomplished children’s book author, Melissa Stewart, has written over 180 books, each one crafted to inspire kids to get outdoors and engage with nature. Pick up one of her many books, and I guarantee that you will learn something, too. In my recent interview with…
“Nature Anatomy”
Every now and then you find a really practical book that is executed in such a pleasurable way that it makes you smile while reading it. Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of the Natural World puts a smile on your face, while explaining such concepts as “Field Succession”…


