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Birds and Birding On The Net
By Louise Ross
Oxford County Library
For The Oxford Review
May 28, 2001
Birds are enjoyable to observe whether from a kitchen window or along a nature trail. Since bird watching is a popular activity it is not surprising that there are many internet sites devoted to birds and birding.
Some bird watching hints can be found at http://www.enature.com/ . Click on “Birding Basics” for general tips on when and where to look for birds, how to study bird features to help in identification, and suggestions for equipment such as binoculars. To see photographs and information for North American birds, click on “Birds” under “Field Guides” on the home page. Search for a bird by name, characteristics, or by selecting a bird from one of the fourteen categories presented each of which has a representative silhouette pictured to aid in the selection. As well as reading up on each bird you can also listen to its song or call.
Environment Canada, http://www.ec.gc.ca/, is a great site for nature and bird information. Click on “Your Environment”, then select “Nature and Wildlife”, and under the heading “Birds and Mammals”, one good bird resource is the “Hinterland Who’s Who”. Fact sheets are provided on selected birds each with a photograph, lots of information, a map showing the bird’s range in North America, plus a suggested reading list. These fact sheets may be printed, or ordered, at no charge, by mail or electronically.
The sixty second Hinterland Who’s Who vignettes, which were created for Canadian television to interest the public in wildlife conservation, may be viewed by clicking on “View Video Clip”.
Environment Canada also has information on endangered birds. At the home page, click on “Species at Risk”, then “Search Tools”, and next you can choose “Map Search”, or “Species Search” and “Birds” to view the 56 records of Canadian birds currently in various categories of risk.
The Royal Ontario Museum, http://www2.rom.on.ca/, has several interesting bird activities. Click on “Interactives’, then “ROM Ontario’s Biodiversity Species at Risk”. Select “Field Guides” to create your own guide containing pictures and write-ups of birds in the location in Ontario of your choice. By choosing “ROM Collection”, you can look at “Comparative Anatomy” to check out comparisons between bird skulls, or you can try the “Bird Song Quiz”, a fun way to test your knowledge of Ontario bird songs.
The Woodstock Field Naturalists Club, http://www.execulink.com/~wfnc/, is a group whose objectives include “protecting and preserving wildlife and unique natural areas”. Statistics are available on the Christmas bird count, natural areas in Oxford are listed with pictures and directions, and there are links to other birding sites.
The internet cannot compare to the sights and sounds of real birds but it can provide us with information to help us appreciate them more.
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