Do you enjoy spotting urban birds but need some help with identifying what you find? This is something I constantly encounter (often with family members sending me photos and videos for identification). Luckily, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a fantastic guide to help you.
A few weeks ago my brother sent me this video of a woodpecker drumming on a palm tree in Palm Desert, California. I opened my Merlin Bird ID app, plugged in the location, date that the video was taken, the approximate size of the bird, the main colors on the bird, and what the bird was doing (eating at a feeder, swimming or wading, in trees or bushes, etc.).
The Merlin then generates a list of possible birds with photos and audio recordings. Ladder-backed Woodpecker was the first bird that came up and most likely option as I swiped through the photos and scrolled through all the options. (I’m also fortunate to be friends with Jeffrey Ward who is a fantastic birder and who was able to confirm my suspicion.)
Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised to find in a city? If so, let Lindsay know or Tweet at us and you could be featured as a future observation of the week!
Featured photo: Ladder-backed Woodpecker | Portal Rd | TAS Bluebird Survey | Portal | AZ | 2016-06-10at05-50-261 by Bettina Arrigoni is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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