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On the Cover: “Somewhere Far North,” by Lars Jonsson. Watercolor on Arches Fidelis paper.
Across the ABA Area, weather is changing, days are getting shorter, and fall migrants are making their way south. Here at the ABA, we had the pleasure of convening in Chicago for a Staff & Board retreat, and of course we had to sneak out one morning to soak in fall warblers at the famed Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary.
The bird on September’s cover could be a fall migrant for you – Stilt Sandpipers do touch down on their way to Central & South America. Lars Jonsson’s beautiful painting, “Somewhere Far North,” highlights this species’ breeding plumage. In September’s Birding Interview, Lars “dissolves” into bird observation, deconstructs his painting process, and shares which tools he relies on.
Stories about birders don’t always attract public attention, but the “Hantavirus cruise” from this spring is certainly an exception. Steve Hampton’s phenomenal article follows Steve Kornfeld, the #2 world lister who became the ship’s doctor and logged an eBird checklist from his Biocontainment Unit in Nebraska.
In Florida, birders of all ages have come together to conduct monthly bird surveys at the Jim Neville Marine Preserve. Sophia Haakman, the high-school student who initiated the monitoring project, tells the project’s story beautifully, and highlights how intergenerational mentorships have created “a team greater than the sum of its parts.”
Ravens have captured peoples’ interest for millennia, sparking creation stories, myths, striking artistic representations, and tons of research projects. In “Frontiers in Ornithology,” Isabelle Busch compiles old stories and recent research to tell us what we know – and what we still have to learn – about these compelling birds.
Birding Editor Ted Floyd also introduces a new column, “From the Archives.” In each issue, you will see a snippet of the magazine from 10 years ago, 25 years ago, and 50 years ago. There’s a lot of good stuff in there, and we hope you’ll enjoy taking a walk down memory lane with us!
As always, the Book & Media Reviews take their full form online. In this issue:
- Aisha White reviews “Lost Songs of Nature: Nature’s Symphony in the Age of Noise Pollution” by Michel Leboeuf, translated by Neil Macmillan
- Rick Wright reviews “Enchantment by Birds: A History of Australian Birdwatching in 22 Species” by Russell McGregor
- Ragan Sutterfield reviews “The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America’s Birds” by James H. McCommons
There’s a lot more to enjoy, but I’ll let you explore on your own. Until we meet again, happy birding!
