August 2009: Retrospecticus

August was a, shall we say, loud month at The Drinking Bird. I pushed some buttons, got some responses, and ultimately came to some understanding of an interesting situation. More on that in a sec, but first, do you remember when we…

Talked about the new birding TV show?

Discovered the joy of birding with a baby strapped to your chest?

Sung from the mountaintop the wonders of ebird?

Took on the myth of birding’s golden age?

Searched for and missed on one Carolina specialty (but found a different one)?

Found out how cool Green Herons are?

And biggest, tackled the ethics of the collection of an ABA area first vagrant. And here’s a final comment on the really interesting discussion in the wake of these posts, which if you haven’t read you really should. John Conover, the collector of the bird, commented on both of the posts and should be applauded for doing so. He’s clearly someone who cares about birds, bird conservation, and bird science, even though on some points he and I still draw the lines there in different places.

It is, more than anything, a good discussion to have out in the open. Ornithologists, birders, and bird conservationists are all working from a basic love of birds and towards their ultimate conservation. We may have different means to that end, but the more we discuss those concerns openly, the better we can work to accomplish those noble and crucial goals, especially in light of all the issues bird populations face in this day and age. More discussion is better than less, and though I may have come on strong in my posts, I hope that the doors of communication can stay open.

More next month! I’ve got some cool things on the horizon, including a re-vamped Drinking Bird. I’ll keep you posted!