I and the Bird

“A tiny wren was among the Chrysanthemums this morning,
noiselessly flitting in and out, like a little shade;
evidently in a state of the highest enjoyment.
No doubt I and the bird both took our pleasure with them in different ways!”
— Eleanor Vere Boyle

Do you love birds and the people who watch them? Do you watch birds and love to share what you’ve learned? Welcome to I and the Bird, a grand collaboration of the best bird blogging on the web. I and the Bird is a new form of blog carnival celebrating the interaction of human and avian, an encomium to our ongoing exploration of birdlife all around the world.

 

*** The next edition of I and the Bird will be on SULIDS!!***

Send your submissions to Nate Swick (naswick AT gmail.com) with “IATB” or “I and the Bird” in the subject line or submit them on the I and the Bird Facebook page.The deadline is November 5th for the November 7th edition.

 

Don’t miss a single edition of I and the Bird!

Subscribe to the IATB Mailing List for e-mail announcements of topics, deadlines, and new editions.

(If you’re not keen on e-mail, just subscribe to the 10,000 Birds feed!)

PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF I AND THE BIRD

September 2013 – SWALLOWS
August 2013 – GREBES
July 2013 – IBISES
June 2013 – WRENS
May 2013 – VULTURES
April 2013 – ROBINS
March 2013 – HERONS
February 2013 – FALCONS
January 2013 – JAYS
December 2012 – CORMORANTS & DARTERS
November 2012 – NUTHATCHES

I AND THE BIRDS FAQ

How does I and the Bird work?
Don’t you hate it when your best writing languishes buried in your archives, especially when you’ve answered questions people ask every day? I and the Bird is a new form of blog carnival designed to aggregate the best bird blogging on specific topics in a form that both educates and entertains. Each edition of I and the Bird will contribute an enduring, link-rich repository of invaluable information about a group of birds. We pick up where Wikipedia and other uncreative information sources leave off. Don’t you want to be a part of this?

What makes I and the Bird different from the original blog carnival?
The original I and the Bird was a classic blog carnival. From July 2005 to April 2011, hundreds of bird bloggers around the world collaborated on an entertaining, inspiring labor of love. One problem with the original blog carnival is that social media like Facebook and Twitter made content curation an individual endeavor. Another more pointed problem is that, no matter how much effort and creativity a host poured into an edition, readers never returned to past efforts. The new I and the Bird will ensure interest months and even years after each edition.

Who can participate?
Anybody can submit blog posts or images to an edition of I and the Bird. You don’t have to be a lister, a twitcher, or even a birder. You don’t even need to be a nature blogger. The frequency with which you write about birds, whether habitually or occasionally, is not a concern. If you’ve written something that you’re proud of regarding our monthly topic, send it our way.

What can I submit?
Every month, we will announce the topic of the next edition of I and the Bird. Contributors can submit links to blog posts, images, or other online resources related to the month’s topic. Contributors should only submit their own content. Content need not be recent; you can submit text or images of any age as long as it is excellent, relevant, and your own. Please restrict your contributions to one submission per species per author.

  • Written content should share valuable information, observations, insights, or uncommon entertainment value. All contributions should have enduring relevance. Note that a trip report where you saw a certain species or a grainy photo of a common bird at your feeders will almost certainly be declined!
  • Photographs, illustrations, and video must either be attached to some online repository (e.g. Flickr, blog) or be submitted as an attachment to be included in the I and the Bird edition.

All contributions remain property of their respective owners, but submission implies a single-use permission to include images or excerpts in the specific edition of I and the Bird.

The relationship between human and bird depicted in your post should be non-hostile or exploitative. Bird rehabilitation and banding are reasonable topics for I and the Bird, whereas pet keeping, game hunting, and cock fighting are not.

We welcome submissions from bloggers with a broad spectrum of viewpoints and philosophies. With that in mind, it should be understood that the opinions of individual contributors should not be taken to represent the opinions of other contributors, the host, or the founder of I and the Bird.

Will my submission definitely be used?
No. We will only use submissions of the highest quality and originality in each edition. Written content must be extremely relevant. Images must be amazing and/or unusual. Priority is given to content about rare birds or observations. In instances where we see a flood of submissions on the same species or genera, we may have to decline even exceptional content.

What if I miss the deadline… can I submit related content after the fact?
Once we’ve published an edition on a certain topic, we will not accept random submissions on that topic. However, we will announce additional opportunities to contribute as we update each page.

Can I host I and the Bird?
For the time being, all editions of I and the Bird will be hosted at 10,000 Birds. In the future, we may have opportunities for bloggers to curate their own editions on 10,000 Birds.

Why should I participate in I and the Bird?
The purpose of I and the Bird is to twofold. For readers, this effort is intended to provide the most interesting, multi-faceted review of a given group of birds available anywhere. For contributors, participation offers an opportunity to share your outstanding, evergreen content with exactly the audience that is interested in it when it matters. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?

Can I promote I and the Bird with a fancy badge?
We wish you would! Use the big banner at the top of this page or take your pick from the badges below:

Contributor badgeI and the Bird is powered by contributors from around the world. Let everyone know that you are part of this grand collaboration!

 

Supporter badgeEven if you haven’t contributed to I and the Bird yet, you can support its mission to present avian insights from every angle.