Wednesday, October 20, 2010

America's Best Birding Hotspots & Birder Profiles

With all the consolidation of top birding blogs from around the globe, combined with my recent move from Idaho to the mid-Atlantic area of the United States, I've started wondering how I might rediscover my voice in the birding blogosphere or how I might positively contribute to the birding world without donating the thousands of dollars I don't have.  I changed my blog name from the "Idaho Birding Blog" to "Birding is Fun!", because to me, that is the most important part about birding...having fun!  I also wanted to delimit myself and the blog geographically.  I love to share my enthusiasm for birding with one and all, and I enjoy helping others share their passion for birds and birding.

I want to provide a couple platforms for birders both young and old, from novice to expert, to share more about themselves and where they like to go birding.  Former followers of the Idaho Birding Blog will recognize these two platforms which are now going global! 

So, launching today, I am inviting your participation.

First,
Many birding magazines do a great job highlighting birding hotspots, but often they are only for locations near higher populated areas and are already popular locations to see birds, written by experts.  I want to open it up to common, everyday birders sharing their favorite small, yet publicly accessible, birding haunts. I will still welcome hotspots from big shot birding celebrities and world known birding hotspots.  If you are interested in sharing with the world your favorite birding hotspot, please e-mail me and I will send you a simple one page template to get you started.  I'm going to limit this to the United States for now and see how it goes.

Second,
BIRDER PROFILES
Open to birders all over the world, of every race, color, creed, skill level, age, and attitude, please share yourself!  We want to know about your birding background, your funny birding stories, a couple of photos perhaps, what type of equipment you use, what your favorite field guide and birding books are, and whatever else I can extract out of you.  If you are interested in participating, please e-mail me.  I will send you instructions and a questionnaire.  I will also take referrals and recommendations for future Birder Profiles.  Please provide me with an e-mail address for the birder you would like to see featured.  Again, all birders of all skill levels are welcome to participate in Birder Profiles.  It is not a contest to see who is best, nor a place to boast and brag (okay, maybe a little), but rather a chance to share your enthusiasm for birding.

Happy Birding!

Robert Mortensen
http://www.birdingisfun.com/

4 comments:

  1. I like the average Joe birder theme.I'll be interested to see how this goes and might like to participate myself.

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  2. Although I am a professional ecologist I still have a lot to learn about birds, especially their behavior. I look forward to reading about people's individual observations from not only what kind of birds they have observed but what they may be doing.

    Thanks. Great idea!

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  3. So, I did not know how to change my blog from Sycamore Canyon to Kathie's Birds. You obviously did! We have both had to learn this lesson from when we first started blogging. I am glad I have my blog of my life and experience in Sycamore Canyon. Now I am ready to move on. If I do go back, I do not think I will switch back, but you never know. I will miss your posts about Idaho but look forward to all the new places and birds you will see! I hope you like living on the east coast. Have you ever lived here before?

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