Here are my go-to websites and digital resources for all things nature. There are a variety of topics covered, so have fun exploring!
Sections are organized by topic:
Birds, Plants, Fungi, Insects, Hiking, Parks
Sections are organized by topic:
Birds, Plants, Fungi, Insects, Hiking, Parks
BIRDS
All About Birds - www.allaboutbirds.org
Online guide to birds and bird watching from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This website is a digital field guide having everything you need to know about birds right at your finger tips. You'll find information about their ID, habitat, diet, behavior, nesting information, range maps, photographs and more! |
Merlin App - www.merlinbirdID.com
Merlin is a free bird ID app and digital field guide for your phone. You can either explore the birds in the app and find pictures, ID info, range maps, and sounds or if you have a mystery bird you can use Merlin to help ID it. You just answer 5 questions and the app will help narrow down the possible birds. I use the Merlin app as a handy quick field guide when I don't have my books with me. I also use it a TON for IDing birds by their calls. |
eBird - www.ebird.org
On either the eBird website or eBird app, you can keep birding checklists, find birding locations, and share your birding information with others. The data collected from bird observations and sighting helps scientists and researches to gather information about birds all over the world. With this information they are better able to understand bird distribution and abundance. |
BirdCast - www.birdcast.info
Bird migration forecast in real-time. This website forecasts when birds will be moving and migrating the most, so you can plan your best birding days during migration. The site is only active and updated during the spring and fall migrations. |
The Feather Atlas - www.fws.gov
The Feather Atlas was created by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Have you ever found a feather and wondered who it belonged to? By answering a few questions about your feather this website will help you to identify which species it is from. Remember, feathers are protected by the law, so please don't keep your feather, instead keep nature in nature so other wildlife can utilize it. |
All About Bald Eagles
This webpage was suggested to me by Ms. Fuentes and her elementary class. They came across it while researching Bald Eagles and thought it would be a good addition to my digital resources page. They say it has lots of good information about Bald Eagles for kids. Thank you Ms. Fuentes and students! Have fun learning about the natural world! |
PLANTS
Minnesota Wildflowers - www.minnesotawildflowers.info
Minnesota Wildflowers is an online field guide to flora of Minnesota - so it's not just wildflowers, but trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, grasses and the like. Fill out a few questions about your "mystery" plant and the website will generate some plant options with pictures to help you narrow down your search. You can also see what's blooming during certain times of the year or look up more information about a plant you already know. |
FUNGI
INSECTS
Discover Life - www.discoverlife.org
This website has a plethora of information on everything living - not just insects! I haven't dug too deeply into it, but I have used it for IDing insects! You answer a few questions in a variety of categories and then the website helps to narrow it down to possible species. IDing insects can be a very daunting task, but this website helps make it easier! Below are just a few quick links to their very large information base. I encourage you to explore the website more and see what all it has to offer! |
HIKING
All Trails - www.alltrails.com
Want to hike but not sure where to start? Look up an area and see what trails are there. All Trails will give you detailed information like distance, altitude gain/loss, and users can comment or post pictures. It's a helpful site whether you're new to hiking or a veteran hiker or looking for new trails close to home or wanting to explore somewhere new. They also have an app you can use on your phone. |
PARKS
NPS Park Finder - www.findyourpark.com
Park Finder is an easy way to find National Parks, Recreation Areas, and Monuments that fit your needs and interests. You can search by activity, state, or park name. Find the perfect park for you and see what all it has to offer! All parks, recreation areas, and monuments are run by the National Park Service. |
MN Park Finder - www.dnr.state.mn.us/parkfinder
Park Finder is an easy way to find State Parks and Recreation Areas in Minnesota. You can search by activity, name, or location on a map. Find the perfect park for you and see what all it has to offer! All parks and recreation areas are run by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Not from or visiting Minnesota? Look for a park finder for your state or county! |