We’re in the home stretch as far as August 2008 is concerned. This news might alarm the legions of students who are less than enthusiastic about returning to school but birders in the Northern Hemisphere are relieved that summer doldrums are at an end. Shorebird season is upon us and early migrants have already taken flight.  Where are you going this weekend and will you be watching birds? Comment below on the excitement you have planned!

Charlie, Corey, and I may wish to be out birding this weekend but we’ll all probably be managing the logistics of our extremely encouraging campaign (in concert with a host of other upstanding organizations, birders, and nature bloggers) to keep the highly endangered African endemic Sharpe’s Longclaw flying high.  If you haven’t heard about this yet, please take a moment to learn what you can do. We’re already about halfway to our stated goal of $2000 (!) and every single dollar helps!

And once you’ve done your part to make the skies safe for at least one more species, be sure to celebrate Sky Watch Friday

Jackal Buzzard by Charlie
Watch the skies for brilliant buteos, like this Jackal Buzzard (like you should be so lucky!)
And if you like this photo, you’ll love Charlie’s full gallery

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.