Resources

Below is a list of some of the most helpful books and websites I consulted while creating this guide. If you are curious to learn more about birds, use this list as a starting point to deepen your knowledge.

All About Birds

A digital guide created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the website is full of information on every kind of bird imaginable. It also has helpful articles related to identification and conservation, along with links to live cams all over the world providing an up close glimpse of birds going about their daily routines.

eBird

Another resource developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this website is a wonderful database where birders from around the globe can record and contribute their sightings, recording, and photos providing a bigger picture of population trends and migration patterns. This data is freely available to all who are interested, and is also largely what drives the Merlin app. eBird comes in very handy when you want to know when sightings of specific birds occurred in a particular geographic area.

The National Audubon Society

Similar to the above website, the digital Audubon bird guide is a thoroughly helpful database. This organization has a long history, having launched in 1905 with the aim of protecting birds and spreading awareness of bird conservation. Today there are 33 nature centers across the US that serve as hubs for education, where visitors can observe birds in their natural habitat and participate in workshops, seminars, and birding events. The Audubon Nature Center of Rhode Island is located in Bristol, easily accessible via the East Bay Bike Path.

Peterson Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America

Written and illustrated by the artist and citizen ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson, this guide is a helpful reference book with carefully drawn precise images of birds that make note of easily recognizable features. His first volume, A Field Guide to the Birds was published in 1934 and was revolutionary as this was one of the first accessible guides for a general audience. Over the course of six decades, new editions were updated with further full color images and current information.

Providence Raptors: Documenting the Lives of Urban Birds of Prey

Self published in 2020, this book has incredible photographs of falcons, owls, hawks, and eagles, all observed around Providence by graphic designer Peter Green during the 10-year period when he lived in a downtown loft. The writing provides interesting anecdotes about how these birds adapt and survive in an urban environment, and the chapter on Peregrine Falcons was especially helpful.

The Birds of Swan Point

A slim volume published by the Proprietors of Swan Point Cemetery in 1981, written by local birder Charles Osgood, this book provides an interesting snapshot of the cemetery divided into chapters according to the seasons. It chronicles Osgood’s birdings observations while also providing some historical context of how the cemetery was established.

American Bird Conservancy (ABC)

Founded in 1994 by George Fenwick, who helmed the organization for 24 years with the help of his wife Rita Fenwick, ABC works with partner organizations to foster greater awareness of bird conservation and find ways to reduce threats to birds. One such example is the The National Pesticide Reform Coalition (NPRC), which was formed by ABC in 2002 with other like minded organizations, putting pressure on the US Environmental Protection Agency to ban the use of harmful chemicals. The website has information detailing factors that impact birds, such as the negative effects of fisheries, pesticide use in agriculture, and bird collisions due to reflective glass. They also publish a quarterly magazine Bird Conservation.