Birdwatching

Birdwatching in Tennessee

Birdwatching & Conservation

Birdwatchers are a gift to conservation! With an unique connection to nature, birders are always observant to the environment. By participating in national studies & bird counts, birders help scientists study and record nesting, breeding & migratory habits. Birdwatchers also help by reporting enviro damage, reducing, re-using & recycling natural resources. By adopting favorite birdwatching areas, birders clean & protect inportant habitats that insure the future of many birds.

Birds of Tennessee

Birdwatching is the observation and study of birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like binoculars. Most "birders" engage in this activity/sport for recreational pleasure. To sit, watch & study bird behavior is very relaxing & educational. Technology today has become a big part of bird studies, as birdwatchers with digital cameras paricipate in nationwide studies. The sport grows at an amazing rate and is quite rewarding. Especially when you start to recognize the birds by sound, before you see them. Join many other Tennessee birdwatchers in this fun hobby! Participate in recording your sightings & send them in to be counted with the rest of the nation.

There are over 300 species of birds that reside or migrate in or through Tennessee. The TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency) and the Tennessee Ornithological Society have put together the 2007 FIELD CHECKLIST OF TENNESSEE BIRDS for recording your sightings. Print your copy and join the fun! Many of Tennessee's birds can be found right in your own yard or neighborhood. Bird feeders, water baths and bird oriented gardening will increase your backyard populations.

Birdwatching Support

There is much support for Birdwatching. With many websites, groups and societies, it is increasingly easy to identify bird species & subspecies. Together, birdwatchers and ornithologist record sightings by species and location for studies in the nations populations and activities. Events, such as the "Great Backyard Bird Count", are held annually. Your involvement in these events is greatly needed, quite fun & a good exercise for children. So check out the resources below and become involved in birdwatching!

Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker Percy Warner Park

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus

Although the Northern Flicker climbs the trunks & limbs of trees and can hammer on wood like other woodpeckers, they prefer to find their food on the ground. Ants are its favorite, and the Northern Flicker digs in the dirt to find them and uses its long barbed tongue to lap them up. more...

You can find an evergrowing entry of birds from Tennessee in our "Meet the Local Wildlife"
Please submit your birdwatching sightings, photos & studies in our Birdwatching Forum!

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.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution that interprets and conserves the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Founded in 1915 by pioneering ornithologist Dr. Arthur A. Allen, the Lab continues to build on "Doc" Allen’s recognition of the significant contribution that bird watchers can make to ornithology by providing unique opportunities for birders to participate in hands-on science and conservation efforts.

Audubon Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our growing network of community-based Audubon Centers, grass roots science programs for bird enthusiasts, and advocacy on behalf of ecosystems sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation experiences. Learn more...

Birding Quotes

"Always be kind to animals,
Morning, noon, and night:
For animals have feelings too, And Furthermore, they bite."
John Gardner

"A Robin Redbreast in a cage
Puts all Heaven in a Rage."
William Blake

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."
Chinese Proverb

Birdwatching Resources

Photo by Tim Scott

Red-tailed Hawk

08 Great Backyard Bird Count Coming February 15-18
Please Participate!

Tennesseans reported a total of 129 species and 169,496 birds in the 2007 Great Back Yard Bird Count. Here are the 2007 results

Birdhouses
are fun to make and choosing a bird house depends on the bird you

wish to attract. Birds can be picky about where they nest. Research the species. Basics include the shape of the box, size of the hole and location. The Birdhouse Network

Do You Recycle? Composte? Re-use? Reduce? Shop Green?
Use cloth shopping bags? Drive a Hybrid? Support Clean Ups?
If So, WE WANT TO KNOW! Tell us what you do.....
Let us enter your name in the Green Tennessee Registry!