[TN-Bird] join ABA now!
- From: Chris Sloan <chris.sloan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: TN-Bird Listserv <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:36:41 -0500
All-
I was going to write something about joining ABA and supporting NAB, but
Greg Jackson in Alabama said it better than I could, so I will just forward
his message below. The one comment I'll add is that increasing membership
is crucial to the ability of the ABA to continue to exist, and a larger
membership base will ensure not only that future, but also the ability to
dramatically improve the current offerings and to do more in the
conservation arena as well. If you are not a member, please sign up today.
Chris Sloan
Nashville, TN
http://www.chrissloanphotography.com
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Greg D. Jackson <g_d_jackson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 1:40 PM
Subject: Am. Birding Association/North American Birds
To: AL Birds <albirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
AL Birders:
Though several birders in Alabama are members of the American Birding
Association, I suspect that quite a few folks on this list are not. I'd
like to encourage more Alabama birders to become members, and also to
support one of ABA's separate journals, *North American Birds*.
The ABA was founded 40 years ago as an organization devoted to the sport and
joy of birding. While maintaining this basic focus, maturation over the
years has added important elements of conservation, education, and
scientific pursuit. While concentrating on birding in the U.S. and Canada,
ABA extends our avocation into all areas of the world. Membership, besides
supporting many excellent programs, offers the superb bimonthly journal *
Birding*, as well as the fun monthly newsletter *Winging It*.
*Birding* has many excellent articles on identification, birdfinding, books
and equipment, and just birding in general, with outstanding photographs and
other illustrations. Though some articles are in-depth studies, especially
those on identification, in general this is not a technical journal, and
would be of interest to birders of all levels of skill and experience. If
you'd like an example of what has been offered recently, browse through the
partial archive at http://www.aba.org/birding/archives.html .
*North American Birds* is the current form of a journal which has
previously gone by the monikers of *Audubon Field Notes*, *American Birds*,
and *National Audubon Society Field Notes*. For most of the life of this
publication it was produced by the National Audubon Society, but in recent
years has been published by ABA. Four issues a year cover the seasons of
birding in the Western Hemisphere (excluding South America). Reports are
broken into various Regions, which have tended to become smaller in recent
years to allow more sighting material to be included. For example, Alabama
and northwest Florida were formerly part of the six-state Central Southern
Region, but now are in the Alabama-Mississippi and Florida regions,
respectively. The Regional reports are written by some of the most
experienced and knowledgeable folks in each area, and portray each season in
the context of the larger Region as well as state and local areas.
An extensive "Changing Seasons" article in each issue summarizes trends
across North America, often including fascinating insights into changes in
bird populations and distributions. Feature articles include documentation
of exciting occurrences. More and more the journal has been lavished with
photographs, many in color, showing the highlights of seasonal occurrence in
each Region. You can browse the "Changing Seasons" articles and tables of
contents of many recent issues at http://www.aba.org/nab/archives.html .
No where else do you find this level of regional and continental portrayal
and analysis of birding in the Americas. Though certainly the AL
Birds listserv allows us to hear of local sightings almost "real-time,"
these are usually not put in context on a seasonal or regional level by
experienced reviewers. For Alabama and northwest Florida birds, it is true
that most sightings are described and analyzed in the sightings
reports in *Alabama
Birdlife*, and I don't want to diminish the important work of that journal.
(Indeed, I encourage anyone on this list to be a member of the parent
Alabama Ornithological Society.) However, you don't get to see the broader
picture from these more local sources, and also don't learn of what happened
elsewhere in that season in regions outside the AOS area. It is amazing how
much you can learn of bird distribution by reading (or even browsing) *North
American Birds* -- with the consequence of better knowledge of what to
expect, and look for, in your local birding patch each season.
Information on joining the American Birding Association and receiving its
journals (including separate subscription to *North American Birds*) can be
found at http://www.aba.org/join.html .
Thanks!
Greg
Greg D. Jackson
Birmingham, AL
g_d_jackson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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