Bright and early, two Gallus domesticus head for the woods’ edge. By 6:30 a.m. I had identified 11 wild bird species too.

I have been using ebird.org since January 2014 to record the birds I see. (Wild, not domestic!) I have been able to identify 43 species in my backyard and 87 species so far. Yes, I’m a beginner.

I submitted an eBird checklist this morning…

Location: North Hampton backyard, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, US
Date and Effort: Mon Jun 16, 2014 5:30 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Party Size: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Observer: Amy Kane
Comments: Heard the wood thrush at 5 a.m. Put the feeders out at 5:30 a.m. (we keep them inside at night due to raccoons). Drank coffee in bed while watching the bird feeders on back deck from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. A large doe wandered into the backyard too and nibbled on some hostas.

Species
11 species total

1 Mourning Dove
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Hairy Woodpecker
2 Blue Jay
1 Black-capped Chickadee
2 Eastern Bluebird
(Adults visited early. The 2 fledglings showed up later, after my official count. Female sitting on new clutch of 5 eggs in nearby nest box.)
1 Veery
(Heard not seen. We used to call this bird “the Liquid Crystal Warbler” before we learned to match the song to the bird. A favorite sound of summer.)
1 Wood Thrush
(Heard not seen. Very clear and close to bedroom window. Lovely way to wake up.)
1 Gray Catbird
4 Common Grackle
1 American Goldfinch

Are you submitting a complete checklist of the birds you were able to identify? Yes

What is eBird?

A real-time, online checklist program, eBird has revolutionized the way that the birding community reports and accesses information about birds. Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, eBird provides rich data sources for basic information on bird abundance and distribution at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.

Read more about eBird here.

My Flickr photo albums: Backyard birds 2014, Backyard bluebirds and Birds of Caye Caulker.