Birding on the Internet

The Internet is a vast resource. Here are some sites that I have found useful, interesting, or inspiring. Perhaps you will like them too. This list is not meant to be all inclusive. It's only a sampling of the wide world of internet birding. -- Diane Porter

Birding FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Great places to bird
          The Azores

Gateways to other birding sites
State, province, and local sites
Sites devoted to certain bird groups
Emergency help for birds
Special-purpose birding sites

Gateways to other birding sites

Electronic Resources on Ornithology
Chris Majka's web site includes several of his published, rather unusual, articles on birds, and many links to other web sites.

National Audubon Society
If there is anAudubon Society chapter near you, this link will help you find it and get in contact with someone from that chapter.

Wings in Flight
A great starting point for whatever you want to know about birds. Excellent collection of links to every aspect of birding.

State, province, and local sites

Birding from the North Coast
Birding around the Lake Erie shore, by Dick & Jean Hoffman, birders in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. With a Cleveland area birding site guide, the breeding birds of lake View Cemetery, local birding information, and trip reports. Links to other Ohio birding resources and The Shorebird Watcher.

Iowa Birding
Site created by Iowa birder Ann Johnson communicates the delights of watching birds in Iowa. Find out about field trips, reporting your sightings, photo contest, birding hotspots, and much more.

Mainebirding.net
Information about birding in the state of Maine, including a page about puffins. Web site created by Paul Garrity.

Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory (SABO)
SABO has a mission: to preserve the diversity of birds and other species in biologically rich Southeastern Arizona. In cooperation with government agencies, other non-profit organizations, private landowners and local businesses, SABO offers guided walks, local tours, hummingbird identification workshops, and other classes to inform and inspire. The web site is designed by SABO's co-founders, Tom Wood and Sheri Williamson.

Seattle Audubon Society
Includes the official newsletter of the Seattle Audubon Society. Web site created and maintained by Dan Victor.

Tweeters
Serving Washington state plus British Columbia. Web site created and maintained by Dan Victor.

Sites devoted to certain bird groups

Chimney Swifts
A fine account of the Chimney Swift, avian insectivore. I hope many people will visit this site and become inspired to help the Chimney Swift survive.

Hummingbirds!
The best hummingbird web site I have found. By Lanny Chambers

Purple Martin Conservation Association
Nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of Purple Martins (Progne subis) through scientific research, state of the art management techniques, and public education, with the end goal of increasing martin populations throughout North America.

North American Bluebird Society
Learn aboutbluebirds species. Find out how to attract and care for them. Download educational materials. Or join the bluebird conservation efforts by becoming a member.

Woodcocks
Explore this website to learn more about woodcock, the plan for their recovery, and how to improve and create habitat for timberdoodles and the other wild animals with which they share the landscape.

The Peregrine Falcon Home Page
This site has the excitement of personal discovery about it. There are first-hand accounts of falcons nesting on the University of Calgary campus, with detailed diaries of the birds' progress. Beautiful photographs and drawings, life history of the Peregrine Falcon, and many links to other sites about Peregrine Falcons and other Raptors.

Emergency help for birds

Helping Baby Birds
Your kid brings home a baby bird she has found on the driveway. "Can I keep it?" she asks. Here is understanding and advice for this common summer event.

Sardif Wildlife Center, in Ferndale Washington State, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the care of injured birds of prey, swans & deer. It is staffed entirely by volunteers. Sardis has an educational area for the public to view some of the beautiful birds they care for. Sardis believes that you can only protect what you understand. In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught. It seems they are doing their part.

Macbride Raptor Project
The Macbride Raptor Project (MRP), founded in 1985, is devoted to preserving Iowa's birds of prey and their natural habitats. The project achieves its goals through rehabilitation of sick and injured birds, educational programs for the public and field research of Iowa's native raptors.

Special-purpose birding sites

Bird Song Mnemonics
Tom Lorenzin has compiled a list of about 350 North American bird songs with English words, or phrases that will remind you of what a bird sounds like. Many are of his own invention after having heard, chased down, and identified particular birds. It's great to have these mnemonic devices all together in one place.

Natural History Services
Created by naturalist Dick Walton, narrator of the Birding by Ear series of tapes and CDs for learning bird songs. This site communicates his enthusiasm for birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and the "history of natural history." Well illustrated throughout with colorful pictures.