Laura Erickson's For the Birds

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Birding Profile!


The current issue of Birding, the journal of the American Birding Association, includes a 3-page interview of me! What an honor!

I really love the ABA. They have produced some of the very finest guides to birding in various areas of the country, showing you where and when to find birds. These ABA guides are invaluable and indispensable not just for those of us who want to see rarities and very localized birds, but for anyone traveling to a new state or region who wants to know where the nicest natural areas are, along with the very best sewage settling ponds!

Although I keep lists and some of my lists are pretty long, I'm not competitive, so never submit any of my lists to ABA or the Wisconsin or Minnesota state bird organizations. But I love that you can count on ABA to keep track of and publish area and year lists for those who enjoy the sport of birding, and to publish the most useful books and checklists for birding at home and away. That's the cool thing about this organization—despite the occasional flare-ups between those focused mainly on conservation and those focused mainly on the more fun aspects of birding, it's the home organization for anyone who loves to focus binoculars on birds.