One of the most exhilarating aspects of life online is its fluidity. For example, if you’re a blogger, take a moment to think back to July 2005, the month we launched I and the Bird. Were you even blogging then? If so, I wager your online presence has evolved considerably since you started. You may have switched blogging platforms or changed the name of your site. You may even be publishing through newly established channels such as Facebook or Twitter, two platforms which may or may not be as popular in a few years as they are right now.
My inquiries into online evolution are actually relevant to this week’s edition of IATB which finds itself on a new blog yet in the hands of an experienced host. Summer Fey Foovay hosted IATB #59 almost exactly two years ago in October 2007. Alas, that edition is lost to the sands of time, or at least the Internet Archive Wayback Machine (here it is), as Summer consolidated her disparate blogs in order to simplify her life. Once she pared down to one blog called Foovay’s Cauldron, I erroneously assumed she had stopped writing about her interest in the local avifauna. I’m happy to report, however, that while she put her dedicated notebook aside, Summer is still a naturalist at heart. Enjoy her fun Gypsy Feet edition of I and the Bird #110.
Wherever you are blogging from, whatever your platform, if you blog about birding or wild birds, you should be a part of I and the Bird. Send a link and summary to me or our next host, Kirk Mona (kirkmona AT yahoo.com) of Twin Cities Naturalist by 10/13 for the 10/15 edition. We’re also looking for hosts for the rest of the year so if you are a contributor who hasn’t hosted yet, I cordially invite you to volunteer!
I started blogging about birds earlier this year because I had several Painted Buntings and Indigo Buntings that spent the winter at my feeders. They were so beautiful I had to share them. They’ve migrated for the summer and should be coming back shortly. I’ve since become a fan of dragonflies, spiders, snakes, alligators..you name it and if it moves I am trying to snap a photo. It’s amazing the things I have learned just because I took a picture and now have to identify it.
http://www.wildlifearoundus.blogspot.com
As always, I very much enjoyed hosting IATB and look forward to contributing and hosting again. I got a bit shy about contributing since Foovay’s Cauldron is not dedicated just to birding or nature – but I’ll never stop watching the birds and wildlife! Foovay’s Cauldron has actually been around in one form or another since before we had blogs – when it was just a regularily updated website. The Cauldron has – well – evolved 😉