Our River Home is in a diverse ecological setting and we've seen many birds that occupy different habitats. We use several bird books as references, but the one that usually confirms a sighting is David Sibley's The Sibley Guide to Birds, published by the National Audubon Society. It is comprehensive and has drawings of different plumages, making it easier to identify transitional plumages.
The list below is the birds we've seen on or from Our River Home property. They are in the order listed in Sibley's.

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Cooper's Hawk (Accipter cooperii)
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) [family of 8 in single file]
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)
Common Nighthawk (Chordeleiles minor)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) - September 2005
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) [Yellow-shafted]
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocoptus pileatus)
Eastern Wood-Peewee (Contopus virens) [nesting on a light outside a shed]
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) [nesting]
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
Common Raven (Corvus corax) [A visiting pair from Pilot Mountain]
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Purple Martin (Progne subis) [from a neighbor's colony]
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) [nesting anywhere they can]
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) [nesting in 1 of 2 boxes]
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata)
Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivora) [Unfortunately, next to a window]
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)
Louisiana Waterthrush (Seirus motacilla) Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) [Slate-colored]
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)
Common Crackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)