ABA Blog in Review: June 2012

June is the quintessential month for nesting birds.  The long hours of daylight mean increased activity of the procreative sort, and the heat brings all the bugs and berries out to fill the bellies of a multitude of North America's most spectacular species, and a few of the other ones as well.  But lest birders rest on their laurels too much, the southbound train is already loading up and ready to go, as adult shorebirds begin their trek back across the continent scarcely the minute the calander ticks over to summer.  Get ready, the marathon of "fall" birding is right around the corner. 

But first, a quick look at the ABA Blog's plenty this month:

George Armistead checks in with a list of the 10 best colloquial bird names.  I'm partial to 40 cups of soup myself.

ABA Board member Lynn Barber's South Dakota Big Year carries on, and June finds her participating the state meeting and wondering whether to chase or stay home and wait.

Ted Eubanks considers what "exotic" really means when we talk about Hawaii, and sings the praises of Nebraska prairies. 

Birding editor Ted Floyd lays out, in an epic three part series, the advantages of documenting rarities with a hand-held recorder and asks what it means in the greater scheme of things.

President Jeff Gordon checks in and lets us know how the ABA staff is doing in the face of the massive fires in Colorado's front range.  So far, so good.

Bill Schmoker throws out some roadkill for the Turkey Vultures and offers a tip on how to get great feeder shots minus the feeder.

Rick Wright offers a pair of reviews this month, White's A Birdwatching Guide to Brandenburg and Berlin and the intriguing short story, The Lord God Bird, by Tom Gallant.

Exciting ABA rarties for the month include Eurasian Storm-Petrel in North Carolina, Black-tailed Godwit in Texas (also a state first!), and Willow Warbler in Alaska, with state firsts of Western Wood-Pewee in Missouri, Inca Dove in Georgia, and Fea's Petrel in both New York and South Carolina. Topping them all though was the remarkable Eurasian Bittern in Alaska!

Thanks to all our readers and commenters!  See you in July!