Helpful Links

Here is a list of helpful links for any birder!

For anything and everything you need to know about birds, Cornell Ornithology's Lab website is the place to go. Here you will find information on their backyard bird counts, web cam program and scientific information on birds. For detailed information, sign up for the North American Birds online and join the Birdhouse Network.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/

A great place to buy anything you need for the backyard or to create a backyard habitat. Best Nest carries the recycled plastic houses and feeders that I use in my yard.

http://www.bestnest.com/

I also recommend visiting the Wild Birds Unlimited stores. There is one in Charlottesville that is great! Locally owned and run by real birders. Makes a great excuse to visit Whole Foods (like you needed one!)

http://www.wbu.com/index.htm

For any information specific to Bluebirds, visit the National Bluebird Society's page. There is good information on parasites and troubleshooting problems specific to Bluebirds.

http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/

Audubon gives great information on backyard habitats. There is information on conservation, watch lists, information on Avian Flu, West Nile and pesticide use. Sign up to participate in the Backyard or Christmas Bird Count, make a donation and check out John James Audubon's North American Birds. Beautiful!

http://www.audubon.org/bird/index.html


Books and tools I suggest:

Sibley's Guides: He has a guide to birds (it's a biggie to keep near the back door or kitchen window for reference), a guide to bird behavior that is fantastic and now a field guide! He paints each species and gives multiple views, morphs, and descriptions.

Get yourself an Identa-Flier! You don't always see the birds around you and sometimes you may think you are seeing a bird that you're not seeing. Using calls and songs to cross-reference is really helpful! A good site for calls and songs, is: "What Bird" http://www.whatbird.com/ There's also a fun bird identification game!

Stokes has a book called, The Birdhouse Book, the complete guide to Attracting Nesting Birds. This gives you the low-down on various houses for cavity nesters.

Planning a birding trip? Check out National Geographic's Guide to Birdwatching Sites. There are both Western and Eastern U.S. versions. Mel White is the author of the Western edition.


And last but not least, use: ME! I have been to some bird-rich areas around the country and would love to help anyone looking to knock a few species off their Life Lists. From Canada to the Florida Keys, I can give you some helpful tips on where to go, where to stay, where to eat (most important in my book) and other logistics! I have well over 25, 000 miles of cross-country, Caribbean and Central American travel under my belt!

Happy Birding!