I and the Bird #55

The planets have aligned, the flood has come and gone, and the Birdfreak Team has been honored with hosting the 55th edition of I and the Bird.

This is the time of year in northern Illinois that young birds are everywhere and the weather is hot and humid. Each time we go out to bird it is like stepping into a sauna. But no matter how hot, the birds continue to amaze and teach us new things.

But it isn’t just out in the field where we learn new things about birds and birders. Through the internet and specifically, the blogosphere we learn daily from people all over the world. Blogging, in a way, has taught us to become better birders while allowing us to meet new people, many of which we may never meet in real life.

So we urge you to check out these wonderful posts from some of the best naturalists the blogging world has to offer.

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Field of View: Some people feel like an injured bird should be “left to let nature take its course”, but Matt knew what to do to help an injured Chimney Swift and give it a second chance at life.

Ben Cruachan’s Blog: Duncan’s birding trip yielded no parrots whatsoever, but he was rewarded with a roosting Boobook Owl.

Snail’s Tale: Travel can be one of the best ways to learn about new birds. Aydin found out that Woodpigeons, despite their name, are perfectly happy in sparesly wooded areas.

Bird Ecology Study Group: High-rise apartments might not appear to be birding meccas, but as Teresa shows, with a little organic gardening, birds will come and even nest.

Backyard Birding Blog: Dana reminisced about her childhood experiences and how free outside play formed a positive relationship with the environment that will last a lifetime, even if at the time she didn’t realize it.

Trevor’s Birding: Trevor shows us how even introduced species, such as the Common Blackbird, can be enjoyed, especially ones that sing so sweetly.

The Greenbelt: The Ridger shows us how important water is to birds and how different animals interact around favorite watering holes.

The Hawk Owl’s Nest: A rare Roseate Spoonbill made his way to New Jersey leaving a lasting impression not only on Patrick, but on some young birders. By-the-way, did you know Patrick is getting married? Congratulations!

10,000 Birds: Cranes and Coots weren’t the only birds to be found at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Corey photographed an Osprey airlifting a slippery meal and his crew found many shorebirds.

Living the Scientific Life: Grrlscientist discusses some fascinating information about Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrows and how testosterone effects the level of song production among these birds.

Heraclitean Fire: House Sparrows are in decline (in London) and Harry offers up some thoughts on why the ‘cockney sparra’ is decreasing.

Search and Serendipity: David had a mixed bag of rails, missing out on the King (no, not Elvis). But he did hear what was most certainly a Black Rail and came away with a nice array of photos.

Ecobirder: Goldfinches and swallowtails provided Ecobirder a Golden Saturday Afternoon and a lot of wonderful pictures.

Birdman: James discusses some of the birds to be found in northern Tanzania, including one of the hardest to find, the Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle (Aquila ayresii).

The Egret’s Nest: You are never too young to start birding. Nine-year-old Ruthie proves this by discovering a Green Heron and a Black-crowned Night Heron.

The Birdchaser: Rob found out that to catch a really cool bird, you need to bring your cool kids along for luck.

A DC Birding Blog: John brought up some important information about free-roaming cats and their potential harm on endangered birds at Cape May.

The Nightjar: Will talks about mythology and the owl associated with the Greek Goddess of Wisdom.

NCIOS: The summer heat of the Midwest was no match for Jennifer or the many birds she saw.

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We hope you enjoyed the Birdfreak version of I and the Bird. There will be no after party or fireworks display.
Please leave in an orderly fashion as you get ready for the next I and the Bird hosted by the one and only Vern at Big Spring Birds.