The Best Birder In The World Comes to 10,000 Birds

It is one thing to read the scribblings of a birding celebrity, a field guide author, the birderati.  It is another thing entirely that is happening here, now, on 10,000 Birds.  You see, we have scored the most incredible coup ever in the history of the bird blogging world.  Ladies, keep your underwear and optics on tight.  Gentlemen, ditto.  We at 10,000 Birds are honored, flabbergasted and delighted to introduce Felonious Jive.

The.

Best.

Birder.

In.

The.

World.

This is huge.  Enormous.  The effects of this announcement will reverberate around the bird blogosphere forever.

But who, exactly, is Felonious Jive?  What little we know of him comes through his close friend and confidant, Seagull Steve, who can be found blogging over at Bourbon, Bastards and Birds.  To quote directly from that esteemed online publication:

The Great Ornithologist Felonious Jive is, obviously, a world-renowned ornithologist. His knowledge and influence reaches far above any mortal-based ranking system. Sometimes referred to as The Last, Best Hope For Birdkind, the plight of his avian cousins weighs heavily upon him at all times. He is considered by some to be the The Second Coming of the Egyptian sky-god Horus. Felonious is fond of bourbon, women, and unemployment. He is terrified of large centipedes.

Obviously, Felonious Jive is not to be messed with.  Unless, of course, you are packing centipedes.

There are tales about Felonious Jive that have circulated in the birding world for nearly a decade now. We hope he will deign to share them with us at some time. Tales like how he’s the only one with all forty-seven Red Crossbill species already figured out and checked off his life list.  Or how he taught David Allen Sibley to paint using a brush made from the feathers of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker.  Or how he once rode a pair of Brown Pelicans from San Francisco to Cape May because he heard Pete Dunne needed some help identifying raptors.  Or how…well, you get the idea.  This is one serious character who has agreed to write on 10,000 Birds and you had better read every word he writes or he might show up at your door, half-drunk and crazed, covered in guano, muttering about feather tracts and carrying a gun.

Such is the life of The. Best. Birder. In. The. World.

Fear him. Respect him. And feel free to throw your underwear now.

Welcome aboard, Felonious Jive.  We look forward to your monthly posts on the fourth Tuesday of every month starting tomorrow on the beat that was especially created for you, I Am Birder.

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