Trips

Hot Birds and Bloggers in Arizona

August 16, 2012 by Mike No Comments


This is Arizona


This is Arizona


This is Arizona!

I just returned from a phenomenal long weekend in Tucson, AZ where I participated in a really enjoyable event. Our friends at Swarovski Optik organized a Birding Social Media Summit to discuss the many ways in which birding and socal media intersect. As you can imagine, I spent time with some extremely interesting individuals. Of course, Clay Taylor, Naturalist Market Manager for Swarovski Optik North America and reigning champion of the Great Texas Birding Classic, was in attendance with other members of the SONA team. The 10,000 Birds presence was bolstered by beloved Beat Writers, both ABA Blog Manager Nate Swick and the mighty, mighty Birdchick, Sharon Stiteler. Other old and new friends around the table were Robert Mortenson, Laura Kammermeier, Rue Mapp, and Jim Cirigliano, managing editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest.

I cannot disclose the top secret matters we explored, but rest assured you’ll soon find even more reasons to enjoy many of your favorite bird blogs and publications (assuming that’s even possible!) What I can tell you is that when fanatical nature lovers congregate in southeastern AZ in summer, they’re not in town to enjoy the heat. We saw lots and lots of drool-worthy birds through jaw-dropping optics in breathtaking locations. Stay tuned to this blog and visit the others listed for the lurid details!

Written by Mike
Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he's also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds in 2003, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.