IOANA SERITAN
Associate Editor, Birding magazine

Welcome to Birding Online! Here, all ABA members can access the extended online content from the August 2021 issue of Birding magazine. The complete issue, containing both print and online content, can be found here:

aba.org/birding-magazine-august-2021

“Audubon’s” Crested Caracara. Photo by © Christina L. Evans.

August’s cover photo of an “Audubon’s” Crested Caracara is brought to us by Christina L. Evans. This month’s issue features not one, but two, caracara articles! Christina tells us how she began photographing these charismatic birds in Kissimmee Prairie Preserve, and shares a number of gorgeous images starting on page 38. In Ken Warren’s article, he explains how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works together with a network of partners, including the Archbold Biological Station, the Air Force, and far more, to protect Florida’s caracara population.

Bird of the Year coverage continues with David Hartgrove’s Photo Salon of a Pileated Woodpecker family in his backyard. Click here to read the story and enjoy the photos.

This month’s Featured Photo comes from young birder Ronan Nicholson, who saw a European Starling that piqued his interest for one special reason. Why? Click here to find out. And note that there is a drawing from Ronan that you can only see in the online issue!

Nick Minor’s “Frontiers in Ornithology” is a fantastic exploration of what it means when we call birds “hybrids” versus “intergrades.” Dive on in by clicking here to see what these words mean for flickers, orioles, buntings, warblers, and birds in general. Nick communicates complicated topics in a way that makes sense, even to those of us who are not ornithologists. This column is the best place to keep up with the latest research on birds, in an easily digestible format.

The extended Book & Media Reviews can be found in the online issue, and will also be available soon on the ABA website. Click here to open to the reviews in the online issue. This month:

• Melissa T. Yang reviews “Raptor Prey Remains: A Guide to Identifying What’s Been Eaten by a Bird of Prey” by Ed Drewitt.
• Sheridan Alford reviews “Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl” by Jonathan C. Slaght.
• Kyle Carlsen reviews “Irreplaceable: The Fight to Save Our Wild Places” by Julian Hoffman. [Here] in the online issue, [here] on the website.
• Stephen Moss reviews “The Ring Ouzel: A View from the North York Moors” by Vic Fairbrother and Ken Hutchinson.

And make sure to check out the new section from Frank Izaguirre, “Frank’s Bird Book Bulletin.” In these bulletins, Frank shares books and media that were recently released or will be released soon, so this is the perfect place to find your next read!

As per usual, we only skim the surface in these digests. Click here to flip open to this issue’s Table of Contents, and find your own favorite part! Until we meet again, happy birding.