Audubon News

A new month brings a fresh start for those who decided to join in on the Bird-a-Day Challenge. The official challenge, taking place on birdaday.net began on New Year's Day. Since then I have been trying to play along, just for fun, counting how many days in a row I can find a “new” bird. (New = recorded for the first time in this game.) So far, I’ve lasted five weeks. Making it this far has already been tough, and it’s only going to get harder.

Plenty of people are playing along, some from as far away as the UK. And a number of new people recently started counting from Feb 1.

Audubon's "Blue Heron"

“Audubon’s Art & Legacy,” a panel conversation at the National Arts Club in New York City brought together three distinct perspectives on John James Audubon’s life and work: Robert Peck, a historian at the Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia; Jonathan Rosen, a writer and birder; and Walton Ford, a renowned American painter.

El Dorado Audubon member Greg Gook was initated last year to the Christmas Bird Count. His experience inspired him to write this poem.

The Hall sisters are "Birding the Net" with abandon.

We’ve let birds loose all over the Internet, and we're challenging people to find them.

The Queen Mary Lab on Hog Island. The lab offers a wealth of books, bird-related specimens, and aquariums. Photo by Terri Willingham

Audubon's Hog Island Camp celebrates its 75th anniversary as the organizations first educational camp tomorrow, August 20th.

Roseate spoonbills. Photo by Jorja Feldman.

The 2011 Audubon Magazine Photo Awards are well underway and we love the enthusiasm so far! In case you’re in need of a little inspiration to grab your camera and get outside, take some advice from Bill Thompson III, editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest and writer of the blog “Bill of the Birds.”

In a recent post, he describes how taking pictures of birds has changed how he actually looks at birds.

From left: Eva Yean, Juliet Falchi, and Jennifer Ritter.

Jennifer Ritter couldn’t just sit around, idly fretting after she heard about the Deepwater Horizon well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. After commiserating with her friend Eva Yean, she called another sympathetic pal, Juliet Falchi. The three decided to do their part by hosting a fundraiser for relief efforts.

This past May, architect/artist Maya Lin received Audubon’s Rachel Carson Award for her leadership in conservation. Her final memorial is an multi-sited homage to the world's imperiled species.

A report from the wilds of Central Park, where the birders are as colorful as the birds.