IOANA SERITAN
Associate Editor, Birding magazine
Welcome to Birding Online! Here, all ABA members can access the extended online content from the August 2018 issue of Birding magazine. The complete issue, containing both print and online content, can be found at:
aba.org/birding-magazine-august-2018
Apologies for this incredibly delayed Birding Online digest for the August issue. Would you believe that we were so excited about the October issue that we just plumb forgot to get this online? Regardless of the reason, sorry for the delay. We’re excited to share all of the online content with you now.
The August cover is graced by Laura Keene’s photography. Inside the issue, you can enjoy the results of her 2016 Photographic Big Year. By the end of 2016, Laura Keene had seen 815 species, and photographed all but 13. That’s 802 photographed species in one year. We were lucky enough to display a number of her photographs in this Photo Salon. Please join us in enjoying her art and her hard work by clicking here.
Cactus Wren, Arizona, 2016. Photo by Laura Keene.
There’s more on the topic of Big Years! John Weigel completed an ABA Area Big Year in 2016, and Noah Strycker took on a global one in 2015. Both of them share some of their stories in this issue. John Weigel details his voyage across the ABA Area and back again in his piece “Records Broken, Friends Made, Places Visited, Birds Seen.” Click here to read his story.
Noah Strycker’s piece is a little different. In 2015, he traveled all over the world and saw thousands of birds in quick succession. These days, he says “Having taken a snapshot of the world, I now travel with a new perspective.” In his article for the August issue, he returns to Malaysia and joins a team of photographers, birders, and government officials to search for the rare Plain-pouched Hornbill. Click here to live vicariously through the International Hornbill Expedition’s search.
As one last Big Year nod, President Jeff Gordon shares his thoughts on what we can learn about past Big Years, and how we can bring them with us into the future. Read his column, “Birding Together,” for yourself by clicking here.
When you’ve enjoyed the Big Year content and you’re ready for more art, you can flip on over to the Birding Interview with painter, teacher, and birding ambassador Catherine Hamilton. Catherine Hamilton tells us about her past as an oil painter, her present as a watercolor artist, her work with Zeiss Sports Optics as a Birding Ambassador, and her thoughts on art and conservation. I am always a huge fan of Birding Interviews with artists, since we get to enjoy their work along with their words. I hope you enjoy, as well.
As always, the online issue brings us extended content beyond what you saw in your print copy. For News & Notes, Paul Hess brings us an extra write-up on Red Knots. Click here to read his description of new research about the distribution of Red Knots along the Georgia coast.
You can also enjoy longer Book Reviews. Click here to flip to the first Book Review in the online issue. Dragan Simić reviews Michael Mills’ The Birder’s Guide to Africa. You can click here to read it on the ABA Blog. Ellen Paul reviews The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century from Kirk Wallace Johnson. This review is available only in the online issue, not on the ABA Blog. And finally, Charlotte Wasylik reviews the 7th edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America from Jon L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer. You can enjoy this review on the ABA Blog by clicking here.
Last but not least, we have the August Featured Photo. You can click here to flip open to the photo… Can you tell what it is? Just like the October Photo Quiz, you may get the species right away. But what was the field mark that clued you in? Tony Leukering challenges us to rethink that famous field mark. You can click here to read his analysis in the magazine. Any thoughts that you’d like to share? Join the conversation on the ABA Blog!
Thank you for your patience with our late upload of this August content. We hope you’re enjoying the August and October issues. You are always welcome to leave a comment or get in touch with us with any feedback that you may have. Until our next issue, happy birding.
