This is a great little site. Have you had a bird singing outside your apartment window for the last two years? Maybe now is a good time to figure out what it is. Click on the sound bite and listen away. I wish every bird book came with this tool. I’m not a mad twitcher by any means, so I find bird guides a bit daunting, because the birds can often look so much alike. Using sound as another means of identification makes it that much easier for those of us who need a little more help.
Urban birds come in all shapes and forms. Here is a talent designer ,Suzie Brown, designing under the name Urban Bird Design. Brown features her lovely prints on lampshades and canvas bags. Beautiful Beautiful!
This is a wonderful project created by the students of Codman Academy Charter Public School. The students have done a wonderful job collecting urban bird sounds and putting them together in a comprehensive soundtrack. CDs and booklets are available through their website. What a wonderful project!
This is a guide that came out a few years ago in conjuction with an exhibition on at the Otago Museum. It is a comprehensive guide to birds that live in Dunedin, New Zealand.
One of the descriptions is of the “Hen” which features the Port Chalmers population at Scott’s Memorial, a semi-feral colony which has become one of Dunedin’s many odd little features. Apparently the spot has established itself over the years as a drop off point for unwanted chicken (many of them are roosters). There have been controversial attempts to exterminate the established population, however judging by locals reactions to the attempts
I think the birds are likely to be there for some time to come.
I watched in amazement yesterday afternoon as a Song Thrush ate slugs from my yard. She would pick up a slug then wipe it back and forth on the grass, drop it, pick it up again and repeat several times before swallowing it whole. She ate at least 4 slugs in the same way. She wanted the slug, not the slime, seems fair enough. Has anyone else ever seen this strange behaviour in birds before? I know they have their own little rituals but this observation reminded me how smart and quirky birds really are! I wish I had my camera on me to record the whole thing. I’ll keep an eye out for her and see if I can get something on camera to post at a later date.
This was the first time I have seen a wood pecker. It was pecking out food from between the cracks of this stone wall. Please do let us know if you know any more about this bird.
In Jaipur India. These Swallows were nesting amongst the electrical wires in the Bazaar area.
It’s really neat that each truck had similar shaped birds with the painter’s personal touch.
Is this just for decoration? or is there other meanings? We’d love to hear from anyone who knows more about these beautiful birds on trucks in Northern India.
Love the flag with “I love my India.” And here is another Urban Bird.
