IOANA SERITAN
Associate Editor, Birding magazine

Welcome to Birding Online! Here, all ABA members can access the extended online content from the November 2019 issue of Birding magazine. The complete issue, containing both print and online content, can be found at:

aba.org/birding-magazine-november-2019

This December, we celebrate 50 years of the ABA. To celebrate, this issue’s cover features… over 300 Birding covers from the past 50 years! Graphic Design Ed Rother made this huge cover a reality. We hope you’ve enjoyed Birding, and the ABA, whether you’ve been a member for 5 months or 45 years. What are some of your favorite experiences that you’ve had with the ABA so far? Are there any experiences that you’re really excited about for the ABA’s future?

One update that we are excited to bring you is the final updated version of the ABA Code of Ethics. Click here to read the new version. Please take a moment to read it and share it with others. As birders, we have a responsibility to bird respectfully. As the Code says itself, “Birding should be fun and help build a better future for birds, for birders, and for all people.”

Another update that you may find helpful is the 30th Report of the ABA Checklist Committee. Click here to flip straight to the technical report, detailing which species were added, which species are still pending, and other updates. Sometimes the technical report can be a little dense. Click here to flip to the “Checklist Redux,” where Michael Retter describes how these changes may affect you or your own personal checklists.

Okay, technical talk abounds… but that’s not what birding means for everyone. What does birding look like when done with a baby? Click here to enjoy Rebecca Minardi’s thoughts on how to bird with children. Rebecca describes, “My son and I have spent many a happy afternoon exploring a small patch of forest or a section of a shallow creek, following minnows, espying catbirds, overturning logs, and poking things with sticks.”

Editor Ted Floyd transitions us to the next story by himself: “Alright, speaking of the kids, let’s hear from them–and learn from them–right now.” Although these kids are quite a bit older than the toddler in Rebecca’s piece! In November’s Young Birder Forum, young birders William Young, Rashmiya Hasan, Tony Belejack, and Gracie McMahon take a stab at identifying a little brown job on a tree trunk. First, click here to ID the bird yourself on the ABA Blog. Then, click here to read the thoughts of our young authors.

November Featured Photo. Photo by © Ted Floyd.

As always, the Book Reviews take their full form online. Click here to flip open to the first review in the online issue. You can also read each review on the ABA Blog. Sanford Sorkin reviews two books: “How to Be an Urban Birder” by David Lindo, and “Birdwatching London” by David Darrell-Lambert (click here for the Blog). Amar Ayyash reviews “Landfill” by Tim Dee, and I have to admit that reading his review immediately made me add this book to my Want to Read list! Click here for Amar’s Blog post. And finally, Frank Izaguirre reviews “Roads, Peoples, Birds, Mountaintops, and Billabongs” by Dean Fisher (click here for the Blog).

Thanks again for a wonderful 2019. Here’s to 2020! Happy New Year, and happy birding!