I and the Bird #81

Editor’s note: Apologies for the late posting of this edition! I moved to a new home (see my previous post for more details) last week and we didn’t anticipate that it would take us a week to get the internet situation sorted out with the company, who seem to be a bit disorganized. We finally got things running today, which put the crunch on me for the post. But better late than never!

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. There are writers, however, whose words can convey more than a single photo ever could. Bloggers include these both and cover the whole spectrum in between.

If you think about it, blogging is a bit of an art form. Figuring out what you want to say, and how best to say it, what approach will grab the interest of your readers, but also contain all the information you want to share. Knowing what needs to be included, and what should be discarded. There is no single best way to produce an excellent post, but they all do have something in common – interesting content.

Blog carnivals bring together interesting content, in this case about birds, from many different blogs into a single central location, but the posts included in each edition are as varied in style as the subjects they cover. In this edition of I and the Bird the subjects range from hornbills in Malaysia to a trip to the optics factory, and posts from mostly photos to mostly text. There’s something for everyone and all different tastes.

It seems to me that a blog carnival is a little like an art gallery, with pieces from many different artists all brought together into one space for the visitor to peruse and contemplate. Take your time to enjoy the artwork, in whatever form it takes – this gallery never closes.

Title: Eagle Island
Artist: Eileen, Cicero Sings
About the piece: Eileen shares a close encounter
with a magnificent Bald Eagle.

Title: Plain-pouched Hornbill: Migration or flocking?
Artist: Ingo, Bird Ecology Study Group
About the piece: Ingo discusses the flocking behaviour of
Plain-pouched Hornbills to fig trees in Malaysia.

Title: Evolution of the Enigmatic Eclectus
Artist: GrrlScientist, Living the Scientific Life
About the piece: Looking at the selection pressures that drove the
dramatic dimorphic colouration of the Eclectus parrot,
and their unique mating system. Also check out
GrrlScientist’s post on conjoined Barn Swallows.

Title: Eveninghawks
Artist: Rick, Aimophila Adventures
About the piece: Noting an interesting field characteristic
in the Lesser Nighthawk.

Title: The Winter Wren is multiple species!
Artist: Nick, Biological Ramblings
About the piece: Recent research indicates that the eastern
and western populations of Winter Wren are two
separate species; Nick tells us why.

Title: The Mega-Avi-Fauna of Africa: Kori Bustards (Ardeotis kori)
Artist: Shawn, for Biological Ramblings
About the piece: Shawn shares his encounter with the magnificent
Kori Bustard, one of the largest birds of Africa.

Title: The Thrushes
Artist: Jennifer, Confessions of a Reluctant Birder
About the piece: Jennifer is better known for her blog A Passion for Nature.
Despite the title of her new companion blog, she seems
anything but reluctant when it comes to birds.
Here she presents an identification quiz to the
six thrushes that breed in southwestern New York.

Title: Brandt’s Cormorants
Artist: Mary, Mary’s Corner of the World
About the piece: Mary takes us on a trip out to Fisherman’s Wharf
near Monterey, California, to look for Brandt’s Cormorants
– and finds lots!

Title: Down memory lane.
Artist: Duncan, Ben Cruachan’s blog
About the piece: While recovering from a bug that put him under
the weather, Ben recounts memories of some interesting
birdy encounters he had while out walking with his dog.

Title: Making Emma happy – part 1
Artist: Amila, Gallicissa
About the piece: Amila picks up a couple of friends who are visiting
Sri Lanka and takes them out on a birding and
natural history tour of the local landscape.
Not only do they see some really neat birds,
but the other critters they find are equally fascinating.

Title: A New Field Guide to the Birds from The Smithsonian
Artist: Greg Laden
About the piece: Greg reviews the recently published Smithsonian
bird guide, and its pros and cons.

Title: Golden Whistler
Artist: Trevor, Trevor’s Birding
About the piece: This stunning little bird showed up in Trevor’s yard.
He shares his observations of its visit.

Title: Alfred Hitchcock Sky
Artist: Wren, Wrenaissance Reflections
About the piece: Wren shares photos of a surreal experience
reminiscent of Hitchcock’s film.

Title: Another Rescue
Artist: Liza Lee, It’s Just Me
About the piece: A Pygmy Nuthatch finds itself lost inside Liza Lee’s kitchen
and she recounts its rescue and release.

Title: Roger Tory Peterson Month
Artist: Eddie, Birdfreak.com
About the piece: Eddie declares August to be Roger Tory Peterson Month,
in celebration of one of birding’s founding fathers.

Title: Robo-birding
Artist: John, A DC Birding Blog
About the piece: John discusses new technology that might provide
a solution to surveying areas that are typically difficult
for humans to reach, in order to better understand bird
distribution, abundance, and population trends.

Title: Beach, in greys and blues
Artist: Susannah, Wanderin’ Weeta
About the piece: An overcast day at the beach and Susannah
and these four are the only ones at the water’s edge.

Title: Hummingbird Festivals
Artist: Rob, Audubon Birdscapes
About the piece: Hummingbirds are one of the most broadly popular
bird groups, and Rob gives some of the festivals organized
to celebrate and enjoy North America’s smallest bird.

Title: Mad Birding Skills
Artist: Rob, The Birdchaser
About the piece: All of us know a birder with Mad Birding Skillz
and wish we could have even a little of that prowess.
Rob explains why he isn’t one of those birders.

Title: A Muse of Evanescence
Artist: Julie, Pines Above Snow
About the piece: Julie reviews the book A Summer of Hummingbirds
and reflects on Emily Dickinson’s influence on
other poets and people.

Title: Birding ‘The Muck’
Artist: Drew, The Nemesis Bird
About the piece: Drew takes us along as he birds a local wetland
colloquially known among birders as “The Muck”
(a very unflattering name for such a beautiful place).

Title: Corey and the Optics Factory
Artist: Corey, 10,000 Birds
About the piece: Just like Charlie visiting Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory,
Corey gets to peek behind the scenes at the North American
Swarovski Optiks headquarters – as close to a
birder’s dream factory as one might get.

Title: At home with the birds
Artist: Seabrooke, The Marvelous in nature
About the piece: Aside from explaining the circumstances behind
why this I and the Bird is a little late getting up,
I also discuss a bit about our new home, including the
abundant birdlife that we share the area with!

Thanks for touring this art show!

The next gallery exhibition will be hosted by Kathie over at Sycamore Canyon. Send your submissions to Kathie at kathiesbirds1 (AT) msn (DOT) com by August 19, or to Mike at 10,000 Birds.