ABA Blog in Review: July 2012

It's been a great month at the ABA Blog, and when you see all the fabulous posts from so many great contributors all lined up together like this you see why.  More than that, the most recent issue of Birding magazine - on its way to your mailbox now - saw a great deal of supplemental content published right here at the end of the month in our continuing effort to coordinate the ABA's online and offline publications.  For this issue we get more from Steve Howell on digital photography and Scott Smithson on Green Big Days. 

But the first part of the month was pretty impressive too, and here's a quick look back, a retroactive table of contents if you will, at July's contributions.

ABA Events Coordinator George Armistead offers his thoughts on the Top 10 books every North American birder should have.

Big Year guru Lynn Barber finds some time for some citizen science as she takes on a South Dakota Big Year.

James Currie hits the ABA Blog with a bang in an incredible photo salon from a recent trip to Botswana to shoot for Birding Adventures. 

Ted Eubanks returns from the Caribbean with a pair of thought-provoking and evocative posts on the region's incredible diversity and the profound impact of global warming on that diversity.

Think summer is the birding doldrums?  Birding editor Ted Floyd asks us to think again.

ABA prez Jeff Gordon has been busy.  Not only did the ABA offices dodge a significant wild fire, but the ABA invited a group of amazing young birders to enjoy Camp Colorado this month. And just today, Jeff inivted the entire ABA community to weigh in on how the boundaries of the ABA Area should change, if at all.

Even more, Jeff announced a Young Birder conference to take place in September in northern Delaware and returned from a trip to Hungary with some fine things to say about a game-changing new scope from our friends at Swarovski. 

Paul Hess shares his thoughts on the newest AOU changes and what it means for ABA-Area birders. 

Winging It editor Michael Retter directs ABA members to a full-color version of the June edition of the newsletter.

Bill Schmocker enjoyed Camp Colorado too, and offered some thoughts on birding footwear.

Noah Strycker is really really into county listing.

Rick Wright reviews City of Ravens by Boria Sax, and digs into the fascinating background of the ABA's Bird of the Year.

Rare birds in the ABA Area this month include Red-necked Stints in British Columbia, Oregon, and Kansas, Little Stints in California (twice), Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.   A Black-tailed Godwit in Delaware, a Black-tailed Gull in Alaska, a Little Egret in Quebec, and a Spotted Redshank in Oregon. Plus, Alberta had its first Black-headed Gull,

From the ABA community came another take on Camp Colorado from Jeff Bouton and some thoughts from thankful BEX recipent Zeke Jakub.

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Wow!  Some seriously great stuff.  Thanks to all our readers, commenters and contributors.  Don't forget to join the ABA if you aren't already a member.  It's because of your support that we can continue to bring this great content to you.

See you in August!