BiF! and the ABA Bird of the Year

FOR THE OFFICIAL ABA ANNOUNCEMENT CLICK HERE!

Earlier this year, the American Birding Association chief executive, Jeffrey Gordon, announced a fun program called "ABA Bird of the Year". As an enthusiastic new ABA member and a huge fan of the American Kestrel, I embraced the Bird of the Year concept and started a grassroots campaign for "The Great Kestrel Count 2011" held over the long Labor Day weekend in September. Fortunately, the ABA noticed and appreciates member efforts that support the ABA cause. I also recently suggested in a comment to a post at 10000Birds that I had hoped the ABA would do more with the Bird of the Year program. That comment turned into a phone call from Jeff Gordon personally inviting me to help coordinate the Bird of the Year effort for the ABA. One thing is for certain, the ABA administration listens and cares about what members think and want to do within the ABA.

The purpose of the ABA Bird of the Year program aligns perfectly with our vision at "Birding Is Fun!" of sharing the passion and enthusiasm for birds, birding, and birders. I am excited to help out in any way that I can in promoting this.  We hope the ABA Bird of the Year will continue to be a program that is exciting and fun with species that we can all rally around each year. I invite you to use the Bird of the Year as a way to introduce others to the wonderful world of birding. I've already compiled a long list of fun ideas to continue celebrating the American Kestrel this year and for selecting and celebrating the ABA Bird of the Year in 2012. We're open to ideas about how to celebrate the ABA Bird of the Year and want to support member efforts and ideas. We hope to create ways that can involve everyone at whatever level of birding you enjoy.

We welcome your ideas and comments here at BiF!, at the ABA Blog or Facebook, or in emails directly to me or to the ABA BoY email address which I will monitor.