I always feel wistful at the end of summer. Sure, we have a few more weeks before the passing of another golden season is official, but once kids return to school, the writing is on the proverbial wall: summer is gone. Blogging, even our particular brand of bird and nature blogging, has seen many summers come and go. In my wistful state, I tend to look back over the years and consider the stalwarts, the writers who have served our community season after season. That’s how I think of John Beetham, who has been publishing A DC Birding Blog since, well, he actually lived in Washington DC! John has been active as a nature blogger for longer than most, but never seems to lose his commitment to birding, conservation, or the ever-burgeoning ranks of bird bloggers. As evidence, allow me to introduce John’s thorough presentation of I and the Bird #133.

How can you reach a milestone like five or more years blogging? To paraphrase  Kris Kringle in that delightful  claymation classic, Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, “Put one post in front of the other…” Maybe my reference was forced but the advice flows naturally! Write well about birding or wild birds for long enough, and you may too one day be an I and the Bird stalwart. That assumes, of course, that you submit your best posts to IATB. Be a part of our next edition, which will be hosted by Grant McCreary of The Birder’s Library at his dedicated birding blog, Birds on the Brain.  Send your links and summaries to me or Grant (gmccreary AT gmail DOT com) by September 14 for the 9/16 edition.

If you’ve submitted posts in the past and REALLY want to make the list of I and the Bird All-Stars (which I always carry in my back pocket) then you should host IATB. Just as Saturday Night Live hosts don’t become legendary until they’ve hosted SNL 6 times or more, you won’t be sufficiently rewarded in the halls of birding Valhalla until you’ve taken the helm many times. I’d like to schedule the rest of 2010 so reserve your place now! First-timers get priority but we’ve got room for everybody…