Full-color June "Winging It" online now!

The June issue of Winging It has now arrived in most members' mailboxes. But if you would rather see it in full color than black-and-white, simply click here. After entering your username and password, you'll have access to all issues from September 2005 through today!

This issue's (excellent, in my opinion) lead article, by Oscar Johnson and Alex Wang, is about the increasingly threatened birdlife on Kaua'i. Did you know that the nuthatch-like 'Akikiki may have reduced in numbers by 90+%, in just the last four years, to only about 300 birds? To me, that statistic is chilling. No, Hawaii is not in the ABA Area. And yes, there has been a lot of coverage of Hawaii in the newsletters' pages over the last 12 months. Some of it was planned; this article was not. Check out "From the Editor" for a full explanation. Here's an excerpt:                 An adult 'Akikiki. Photo by © Alex Wang.

"[M]y experience birding on Kaua‘i in April of this year set off alarm bells in head. Birds that were easy to find just a year or two ago are now merely clinging to existence. Without our help, these birds will rapidly go extinct. What could I possibly do to make a difference? As editor of a newsletter, it seemed the best way I could contribute to their conservation was by making others aware of the situation."

In other columns, we learn about how Birders' Exchange is helping school groups in Argentina; Bill Schmoker weighs the pros and cons of wearable, waterproof birding gear in "Geared for Birding"; Paul Hess tells us about why Black Swifts are wearing "backpacks" and how mangrove-nesting birds in Florida are having a tough time in "News and Notes"; Eric Salzman reviews books on seabirds and rare birds; Hanna Mounce announces an exciting program by which you can, for free and from home, help to save the Maui Parrotbill for extinction; and, as always, Amy Davis provides us with the latest rarity news and insightful commentary in "Sightings".

Is there a topic you'd like to see covered in Winging It? Even better, is there a topic you'd like to write about in Winging It? If so, please drop me a line at mretter@aba.org  Remember, Winging It is your newsletter!