Sorry, folks

Well, I'm sorry to say that I'm officially discontinuing BBFG. My new blog can be found here, at www.lettersfromskylarkdr.wordpress.com

I know there'll be a lot of people who used to like my blog that'll never read this, but I just wanted to have one last post before I end it.

I'm sorry, but I'm just not as interested in birds as I used to be, so there will (probably) be no more posts here ever again. However, I'll keep it open in case you're mildly sentimental about blogs you follow or something. Or in case you're family and you wanted to see how insanely into birds I was four years ago. Thanks for reading this thing, fam.

Although, I get a sense of pride and accomplishment from keeping a blog solely on one subject for as long as I did. Thank you to all my faithful followers (and fake bots who followed me - no thanks to you guys) for reading this blog for a long time.

Although, in the end, my birding passion got me into other things, like enjoying the beauty that God made, longboarding, hiking, a tolerance of mosquitoes, and photography (my new favorite pastime). And don't get me wrong - I still love birds and the two precious ones I own, but I'm just less crazy about it. And there's also the fact that Blogger is a very clunky blog client and WordPress is better. So, I'm sorry, but this is the end of BBFG. I thank all of you for reading this and caring about what I have to say.

Peace out, and fare thee well.

I will see you at BFSK.

-Guy

Great bird books to read

Peterson's Birding By Impression: The people working for Peterson Field Guides did a great job with this one - It's all about birding by shape, size, and minute differences between species. The book is rather large - larger than a sheet of paper - so it's a good one to keep at home. It's not much of a field guide; more of a reference book. (Kevin T. Karlson and Dale Rosselet)

Hawks in Flight: If you are a hawk enthusiast as I am, you've definitely scored if you found this one Illustrations by David Sibley, author of the Sibley guide, this book explains how to tell the difference between flying raptors. With detailed explanations and meticulously painted portraits of each raptor, This book really is one you should check out. (Pete Dunne, David Sibley and Clay Sutton)

Birding In Illinois: If you live in Illinois, this is a really good reference. It's none too durable (my copy's protective layer on the front is peeling), but is perfect as another home bird book. It gives very comprehensive descriptions of birds, shows detailed pictures, and even has a checklist in the back - If you're a kid birder, you should go with this one as a starter.

Old/antique bird books: Antique books are gorgeous, even if the cover is ripped off and the pages might be falling out. If you can find an old book like a 1940's Peterson or a 30's Golden guide, I can tell you that flipping those old-smelling pages is one of the funnest things you can do with a bird book. It's also really cool to see what they pictured the birds as, where they found them, and what they called them I have a few, and let me tell you: This is something you want to look for. And what if you don't want to keep them? Sell them on eBay, if they're in good condition. I've never done this, but some birders and book enthusiasts will pay big bucks for those things.

Take the Pledge to Fledge!

Here's an idea: Let's turn more people into birders. If you have someone that you think would enjoy birding (yet doesn't bird), take the Pledge to Fledge by Cornell lab of Ornithology. The pledge states this:

"I pledge to actively share my enthusiasm for birds with non-birders by taking them into the field to show them birds and foster their own appreciation for birds whenever possible. I will strive to be friendly, patient, helpful, and welcoming when approached by ‘non-birders’ or asked about birds by acquaintances. I believe that individual birders, as part of an international grassroots movement, can effect positive and profound change for our shared birds and their future."

It's a really great idea, and it gives you an opportunity to make a new friend! There's also a chance that you'll have someone new to go birding with, too. Take the pledge! And, if you hatch a new birder, feel free to comment here what his/her name is and when he/she became a birder.