Welcome to Birding Online! Here, all ABA members can access the extended online content from the October 2016 issue of Birding magazine. The complete issue, containing both print and online content, can be found online:

aba.org/birding-magazine-october-2016

This issue is a great one, from front cover to the back. October Birding‘s front cover is by cartoonist Rosalind “Roz” Chast, of New Yorker fame. You’ve likely seen her work before – but this is the first time her art has ever graced the cover of Birding. If you’re interested in holding onto or sharing her artwork, you can buy copies of the October issue from the ABA Store. Think of it as a “collector’s edition” of Birding. And inside this issue, you can read more about Roz Chast and her love for birds in the Birding interview.

Artwork by Rosalind Chast.

October’s Featured Photo contains more than one bird… In fact, it contains more than one species. Tom Johnson’s commentary in the issue walks us through how many species are included, and how to tell apart the especially tricky ones. If you want to tackle the Photo Quiz yourself before you read his piece, you can join the discussion on the ABA Blog.

You can also read October’s extended Book Reviews online, which are a personal favorite of mine. No matter what type of bird books you prefer to read, there’s likely a representative in this issue. First, Frank Izaguirre reviews The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf, a scholarly look at the life of the scientist and thinker Alexander von Humboldt. Noel Snyder tells us about the new Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America, a guide to the 23 woodpecker species that regularly occur north of Mexico. Last but far from least, Alison Beringer reviews Tony Angell’s House of Owls, a reflective book that combines Angell’s personal experiences with owls with scientific information about relevant species.

Finally, as 2016 draws to a close, so does the ABA Membership contest. At the end of the year, the ABA is giving away three prizes – a free birding trip to Panama or Trinidad & Tobago, or a free world-class Zeiss Victory SF binocular – to the three people who bring in the most members. It’s time to get your friends and extended family to join the ABA. For more information, visit aba.org/bigyear16/. If you yourself are not a member, you can become one at aba.org/join/.