Birding at Burden
Our goal is to provide you with information about our birding loops and links to resources that will enhance your birding experience.
"Birding at Burden" is also available upon request inside the Ione Burden Conference and Information Center and inside the Rural Life Museum Visitors Center. The brochure has a detailed map and legend of the six birding loops, images of birds, descriptions about each of the loops, and a bird species list to see what time of year each bird species is most likely to occur at Burden. The numbers next to each species correspond to our numbered birding loops. Please view our visitors' information page before visiting.
Included in the brochure is information about Burden, locations for kiosks, feeder stations, first stations, bird identification apps, and restrooms.
When planning a walk along our Birding Loops please have your binoculars, cell phone, birding apps and/or Field Guides, sunscreen, insect repellent, appropriate outdoor footwear, and temperature-appropriate clothing and layers.
Monthly Guided Bird Walks
Birding at Burden is also a monthly birdwatching series. One Saturday a month, a special bird enthusiast will lead a small group of guests through a selection of the Birding Loops at Burden. Admission is $10 per person. Preregistration is required.
Register for a Guided Bird Walk
Birding Information
The Baton Rouge Audubon Society offers birding classes, field trips, presentations, newsletters, native plant guide, birding for kids, current conservation projects, opportunities to volunteer, and places to go birding in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas.
The National Audubon Society has a wealth of information about birds with articles on birds in the news, climate, conservation, science, and an online Audubon Magazine. You can find guides and excellent videos for the novice to expert birder at https://www.audubon.org/birding/identifying-birds and how to create bird-friendly yards and more!
Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a wealth of information for birders young and old! They offer online courses designed for every level of bird enthusiast, videos, and learning games.
For educators, Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers Bird Sleuth, a program for grades K-12 students to learn about birds. This includes lesson & activities and professional development.
Citizen science offers projects for young and old to help scientist with research and conservation of birds.
Cornell Lab Of Ornithology has live bird cams that you can view. The cams give you a view of birds in Panama, Bermuda, Ontario, Canada, Cornell, New York, and other feeder sites. The Hamlet, the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle Nest Cam by American Eagle Foundation is outstanding!
Birding Apps
The Audubon Bird Guide app, is free to download and has a complete guide to North American birds. The app includes hotspots, Bird ID, and more.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology has free apps that can be downloaded. You can enter your sightings contributing to important research and conservation of birds worldwide using their eBird app.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology also has free birding app, Merlin Bird ID, that will aid with the identification of a bird that you may see along the trails.
iBird Interactive Field Guide includes Birds-Birding Apps. The apps are excellent but depending on which one you choose the cost varies.
The Warbler Guide App: Princeton University Press: An excellent app for identifying warblers. There is a fee for Apple users and Google Play.
Windy.com is an app that can be used to get accurate weather. If you are following Spring or Fall migrants or just the weather in general, it shows wind patterns, rain, radar and satellite, clouds and more. It's free for both iOS and Android.
Annual Birding Events
The Big Sit is an annual world-wide event that invites participants to specific locations in the community to sit and count birds. More information can be found on the Audubon site.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology invites the public to put up a feeder, count birds, and enter your data during the months of November to April for their Project FeederWatch.
On one day between December 14th and January 5th, the Christmas Bird Count is held. Check back for dates and information on how you can take part in the count for 2020/2021.
Audubon Society will observe the start of Great Backyard Bird Count on February 12, 2021.
Birding Guides
- A Birder’s Guide to Louisiana, by Richard Gibbons, Roger Breedlove, and Charles Lyon
- Peterson’s Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North American, by Roger Tory Peterson
- The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, 2nd Edition, by David Sibley
- Sibley’s Birding Basic, by David Sibley
- National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition, by Jon L. Dunn, Jonathan Alderfer
- Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America, by Kenn Kaufman
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds Eastern Region, by National Audubon Society, John L. Bull, and John Farrand, Jr
- The Warbler Guide Song and Call Companion, by Tom Stephenson and Schott Whittle
- Birds of Louisiana & Mississippi Field Guide, by StanTekiela
- The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America, by Donald Stokes
Laminated Pocket Foldable Guides
- Birds of Louisiana: A Guide to Common & Notable Species, by Greg Homel
- Hummingbirds of North America: A Comprehensive Guide to All Species, by Greg Homel
- Sibley’s Raptors Eastern North America, by David Sibley
- Birds of Prey: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar North America Species, by James Kavanagh
- Folding Field Guide: Sibley’s Guide to Warblers, by David Sibley
- Sibley’s Owls of North America Folding Guide, by David Sibley
- Waterfowl of North America: A Comprehensive Guide to all Species, by Kevin Karlson
- Warblers of North America: A Comprehensive Guide to All Species, by Kevin Karlson
- Sibley’s Warblers of Eastern North America (Foldingguides), by David Sibley
Submission of Photos to the Birding at Burden Webpage
If you would like to submit photos of birds along our trails that we can post on our Birding at Burden webpage, please send them to botanicgardens@agcenter.lsu.edu. Please include the following with each photo: Your name, date of photo, common and/or scientific name of the bird(s), and the image should be 800x600 pixels or larger.