It's shaping up to be a good year for bird aficionados. Those who already know and love all things bird should check out welovebirds.org, a blog and social networking site created by the Natural Resources Defense Council. There you can mix with other birders and share stories, photos, and videos. You can also sign up for action alerts to help protect your favorite feathered friends.

If you're looking to sharpen your bird-identifying skills, try the Audubon Society's new iPhone application. Available at audubonguides.com, it allows you to search by location, shape, or other characteristics so you can match what you observe in the field with an actual species.