Central Oregon birders take note.

There’s a new CD-ROM out that contains photos of all birds found regularly in Oregon, song recordings, maps, videos and quizzes.

”Our Birds Oregon,” from Thayer Birding Software and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, also includes an ”Identification Wizard” that helps newer birders identify what they see, even if they don’t know its name. Users enter the bird’s color, size, habitat and location and the computer does the rest, including showing photos of all the birds that match the description.

There’s even a quiz on the birds of Bend, based on Christmas Bird Count data collected by members of the local Audubon Society chapter. It includes birds seen by them in at least three of the last five years.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology houses the world’s largest collection of nature sounds. The lab and its 30,000 members are involved in Citizen Science projects, including Project Feeder Watch and the Great Backyard Bird Count.

The CD is recommended for ages 6 and up. It can be upgraded to include 930 North American species.

According to Thayer, serious birders use the CD to study birds in their area and learn the songs while looking at the photos. The CD, ”Guide to Birds of North America,” is used at several colleges and universities as the course text for ornithology classes.

System requirements are Windows 98, ME 2000 Pro or XP, Pentium 233 processor or equivalent; 64 MB RAM, 16x CD-ROM drive; 30 MB on hard drive. Extra features require an Internet connection.

The CD is available at local birding stores for about $30.

Contact: 800-865-2473 or www.thayerbirding.com.