Excited to have @Necayl Perry @Jeffrey LeDrew @Ulrike Judkins @Annelise Miranda @Mark Wiard @Ted Stenz and @Katie Cox in the community. Welcome in, we are looking forward to meeting you!

You probably have more birding options nearby than you'd guess. A few places to start looking: - eBird's "Explore" hotspots — search your area and you'll see a list of nearby locations other birders have logged, along with what's been seen there recently. - Local parks, greenways, and anywhere water meets land — these edges tend to concentrate more species than a wide-open lawn or a deep, uniform woodlot. - During fall migration, any scrubby area could have a few migrants dropping in, always worth a quick check in the morning. - Your own yard. It counts as a real birding location. For a lot of us, it's still the most-visited hotspot on the list. Some really rare birds have been found in city parks and backyards. What's a close birding spot you love to visit?

These two look nearly identical at a glance. Both have a similar black-and-white pattern, same red patch on the males, but a few reliable differences hold up: - Size. Downy Woodpecker is small, roughly sparrow-sized. Hairy Woodpecker is noticeably larger, closer to robin-sized. - Bill length. This is the most reliable mark. Downy's bill is short and stubby, about half the length of its head. Hairy's bill is long and substantial, close to the full length of its head. - Outer tail feathers. Downy Woodpecker has small black spots along its white outer tail feathers. Hairy Woodpecker's outer tail feathers are clean white, no spots. The problem with this: Hairy Woodpeckers occasionally have spots on their tail too. (don't ask me why only some do, I have no idea!!) If you're at a feeder, size and bill length together will usually settle it without needing the tail feathers at all. Check out ways to separate more similar birds with Cheat Sheets in the Classroom tab: https://www.skool.com/better-birders-7312/classroom

I’m not good at identifying feathers. Does anyone know?