Connecticut Ornithological Association
Connecticut's Birding Organization
RESOURCES FOR BIRDERS
Online Resources
Click here for print and audio resources>

Guided Birding Tours in Connecticut>>

• Weather and Tide links
• Ornithology and Birding Links
• Connecticut Birding and Bird Related Websites
• Avian Conservation Sites
• Regional Birding Web Sites
• Identification, Rarity, Photo, and Other Sites
• Avian Records Committees of North America
• International Avian Records Committees

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• The Weather Channel - Select the Zip Code or the City of interest.
• WFSB Doppler Radar - Live Doppler Radar of the state of Connecticut updated every 3 minutes. Click on Doppler 3000 Radar link.
• NYC Nexrad Radar - NYC Nexrad radar site covering southern New England, NY and NJ.
• Wunderground.com - Conditions in the northeast USA and southeast Canada. Point at a state or province and click. Now you'll know what the weather is at that rarity you're chasing!
• Tidesonline.com
• Connecticut DEP Tides & Currents
• Connecticut Tides from Stripersonline.com
• Tide Charts for New England

Ornithology and Birding Links

• The American Ornithologist's Union - Checklist of North American Birds, Seventh Edition
  The A.O.U. Check-list of North American Birds is the official source on the taxonomy of birds found in North and Middle America, including adjacent islands.
  
• Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology - Excellent site. Full of birding and ornithological info.
  
• Northeast Hawkwatch - The NorthEast Hawk Watch (NEHW) is a registered not-for-profit organization established and run by volunteers to increase awareness, appreciation and protection of our daytime birds of prey by promoting hawk watching and the study of hawk migration, throughout New England, eastern New York, and northeastern New Jersey.
  
• Red Crossbills - Heard about the possibility that Red Crossbill may be split into more species? Here is an interesting site that discusses that issue. Discusses Red Crossbill types, ranges, and includes audio files of the different type's vocalizations.
  
• Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences - A regional and national leader in avian research and conservation.
  
• Birdnet - The Ornithological Information Source. Presented by the Ornithological Council. A gateway to ten North American professional Ornithological societies and much more.
  
• Birdzilla - Great resource to learn about North American species. Over 900 species are described, over 600 Range maps, over 450 photographs, nearly 200 audio recordings. Most species profiles have a link to the complete text of the appropriate bits of A. C. Bent's Life Histories.
  
• The Virtual Birder - The internet magazine for birders. Take the virtual birding tour a check your online identification skills!  
  
• Where do You Want to go Birding Today? Feel like traveling? This site is a must for birders on the move. An amazing compilation of birding information from around the globe. Highly recommended.
  
• Birder.Com - Links to everything birdy!
  
• Travellingbirder.com - Internet portal to birding travel and birdwatching trip reports

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Connecticut Birding and Bird Related Websites

• Audubon Connecticut - The state office of National Audubon Society working on bird conservation issues in Connecticut.   Local chapter links:

  • Audubon Center of Greenwich/Greenwich Audubon Society
  • Hartford Audubon Society
  • Litchfield Hills Audubon Society
  • Mattabeseck Audubon Society
  • Menunkatuck Audubon Society
  • Naugatuck Valley Audubon Society
  • Potapaug Audubon Society

  
  
• Connecticut Audubon Society - Founded more than 100 years ago by Mabel Osgood Wright whose name is synonymous with the history of Connecticut birding. Education, programs, conservation, sanctuaries, and field trips.
  
• Connecticut Bird Mail - Reposting of recent CT Birding email list posts on the birdingonthe.net web site which is a very complete compilation of North American (and more) birding lists.
  
• Connecticut Coastal Access Guide - An online resource with information about Connecticut's shoreline areas. 
  
• Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
  
• Natchaug Ornithological Society - Serving northeastern Connecticut
  
• The Nature Conservancy - Connecticut Chapter Home Page.
  
• New Haven Bird Club - Excellent organization with long history as major player in Connecticut birding and ornithology.
  
• Northeast Connecticut Kestrel Project - Efforts to restore Connecticut's American Kestrel Population by erecting nest boxes. Contains links to nest box plans and web sites about American Kestrels.

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Avian Conservation Sites

• American Bird Conservancy - Conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas.
  
• Bird Conservation Research, Inc. - NE CT organization researching birds and the habitat that supports them.
  
• BirdLife International - A global alliance of national conservation organizations working in more than 100 countries worldwide.
  
• Center for Conservation and Biodiversity University Of Connecticut - The mission of the Center for Conservation and Biodiversity at the University of Connecticut is to protect the diversity of life through education, training, and research in ecology, evolutionary biology, and systematics - disciplines that are the foundation of sound conservation practice.
  
• CTDEP Natural Diversity Data Base - The Natural Diversity Data Base is the central repository for information on the biology, population status and threats to the elements of natural diversity in the state of Connecticut.
  
• Invasivespecies.gov - Invasivespecies.gov is the gateway to Federal efforts concerning invasive species. On this site you can learn about the impacts of invasive species and the Federal government's response, as well as read select species profiles and find links to agencies and organizations dealing with invasive species issues. (Info available on West Nile Virus here. Editor's Note).
  
• Massachusetts Audubon Society, Conserving Grassland Birds - The Grassland Conservation Program at the Center for Biological Conservation, initiated in 1993, is a regional effort to preserve grassland habitats that provide breeding and feeding sites for a wide variety of birds, plants, and butterflies.
  
• National Audubon Society - The mission of the National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.
  
• National Audubon Society WatchList - The WatchList identifies North American bird species that need our help. WatchList species are those faced with population decline, limited geographic range, and/or threats such as habitat loss on their breeding and wintering grounds.
  
• The Nature Conservancy - Since 1951, we've been saving the Earth's Last Great Places around the world.
  
• The North American Breeding Bird Survey - USGS. The BBS Home Page is a source of information about distributions and population changes of North American birds.
  
• Rainforest Action Network - Since it was founded in 1985, the Rainforest Action Network has been working to protect tropical rainforests and the human rights of those living in and around those forests. These issues have a significant impact on our birds.

Regional Birding Web Sites

• Massbird.Org  - Massachusetts holds a special place in the history of ornithology and birding in North America. This excellent site is a good place to learn about birding, past and present in Massachusetts and the northeast.
  
• Audubon Society of Rhode Island - Rhode Island Refuge information and program listing.
  
• Maine Birding Home Page - There is a whole lot more to birding in Maine than just Puffins! Weather, state checklist, rare bird info, and yes... Puffins!
  
• Maine Audubon Society Birding & Natural History Page - A brief guide to Maine's habitats and birding hotspots.
  
• Audubon Society of New Hampshire Birding Information - Rare bird alert posting and more.
  
• Birding on the Net - Links to all North American birding email lists and other interesting sites.
  
• Real Birds - Part of The Virtual Birder. A gateway to birding info throughout the northeast as well as the whole US and Canada.
  
• Bird Clubs in North America - A listing of many bird club websites throughout North America listed by state or province.

Identification, Rarity, Photo, and Other Sites

• Surfbirds.com - This free website is a collaboration between a group of British and American birders. By bringing together the best birding articles from both sides of the Atlantic onto one website, we hope to have created something unique. You HAVE to check this out!
  
• Rare Birds in Spain - Interesting site with many photos and a good deal of information. A mixture of English and Spanish text.
  
• The Icelandic Birding Pages - A very nice site with a great deal of information and many excellent pics of rarities that are of interest to eastern North American birders.
  
• Owling.com - "Owling.com is a look at the North and Central American Owls with both biology and multimedia sections to help with the identification, enjoyment, and appreciation of these awesome winged predators." If you are interested in Owls then you'll want to visit this site.
  
• Bicknell's Thrush - Environment Canada. This web site was inspired by one of North America's newest bird species — Bicknell's Thrush.
  
• Bob Lewis's Gull Site - For the Gull enthusiast! Some Connecticut Gulls included here.
  
• Butterflies of North America - The Butterflies of North America Web site is a "work in progress," consisting primarily of the following information: Distribution maps showing the counties in which occurrence of a particular species has been verified, Photos of the adult and caterpillar (when available), Species accounts containing information on size, identifying characteristics, life history, flight, caterpillar hosts, adult food, habitat, species range, conservation status, and management needs. Species checklists for each county in the U. S. and state in northern Mexico.
  
• Connecticut Butterfly Association - The Connecticut Butterfly Association web site with publications, programs and field trips.
  
• Connecticut Amphibians - Connecticut, the third smallest state in the union, has a relatively generous list of frogs and salamanders, considering the cold winters we experience.
  
• California Birding - Photos, mystery quiz, audio posts, and... California birding!
  
• Wing Photos Identification reference - University of Puget Sound - Slater Wing Collection: photographs of bird wings (museum specimens). That's right, wings only!
  
• Plumages and Molts - A knowledge of plumages, molts and ageing is essential to the modern birder. The Humphrey and Parkes terminology is recommended where there is a need to describe precisely a bird's plumages and molts. Ontario Field Ornithologists. If you are serious about really understanding bird identification, this site is for you. The Humphrey and Parkes system is described in detail.

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• Alabama Bird Records Committee
• Arizona Bird Committee
• Arkansas Bird Records Committee
• California Bird Records Committee
• The Carolina Bird Club Bird Records Committee (North and South)
• Colorado Bird Records Committee
• Delaware Records Committee
• Georgia Ornithological Society Records
• Illinois Ornithological Record
• Indiana Bird Records Committee
• Iowa Records Committee
• Kansas Bird Records Committee
• Kentucky Ornithological Society
• Louisiana Bird Records Committee
• The Maryland DC Records Committee
• Massachusetts Avian Records Committee
• Michigan Bird Records Committee
• Minnesota Ornithologist's Union
• Missouri Bird Records Committee
• Nevada Bird Records Committee
• New Brunswick Bird Records Committee
• New Jersey Birds Records Committee
• New York State Avian Records Committee
• Ohio Bird Records Committee
• Oregon Bird Records Committee
• Tennessee Ornithological Society
• Texas Bird Records Committee
• Utah Bird Records Committee

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International Avian Records Committees

• Association of European Rarities Committees - Representatives of many European rarities committees gathered in 1993 on the German island of Helgoland, where the decision was made to create AERC, to link together the activity and the expertise of national bird rarities committees in some way.
  
• The British Birds Rarities Committee - The BBRC is the official adjudicator of rare bird records in Britain.
  
• British Ornithologists’ Union - For over 100 years the British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) has maintained a list of birds that have been recorded in Britain and Ireland. (There is an explanation of how there came to be two committees for Britain on this page. Editor's note).

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