Since Dawn Chorus started almost two years ago, we’ve had the benefit of many guest hosts for this weekly bird-fest. It’s great to get different angles on birds and birding, and take advantage of their expertise and experience. Most of these came about because I saw a comment that sparked my interest and asked if they’d be interested in doing a diary on the topic; some because the diarist got in touch with me and asked if it might be a good topic. If you’re interested in hosting sometime, let me know. I think the series is much better for getting a variety of voices (and hearing about places other than the bay area). There are a few topics that I’d really love to cover but just don’t know enough about to do justice to them – rehabilitation, breeding bird surveys, reintroduction programs, passerine (or other non-raptor) banding, plant communities and their related birds, ... the list goes on.
What does this have to do with guest hosts? Nothing, really - but what's a birdblog without pictures, and I don't have their photos... But isn't this double crested cormorant handsome in his breeding plumage?
I’ve put together a list of guest-hosted diaries, which ought to be especially interesting to those who’ve started following Dawn Chorus more recently. I think I managed to find all of them, but if I missed anyone please let me know! I plan to update this diary with each new guest-hosted diary, so it will be an ongoing index of sorts; I’ve added a link to it in my blogroll.
Without further ado, in alphabetical order....
birderwitch wrote about some fascinating birds, Chimney Swifts, including some really cool video footage. The swifts’ "birdhouse" was impressive – I don’t know many people that dedicated!
No California Quail in blue jersey mom's sites, but plenty of other game birds!
blue jersey mom has one of those day jobs most of us only dream about – she’s an archaeologist. One of the things she’s done over the years is identify bird bits at sites they’ve studied and put them into context (food? falconry? pet?) – she shared some stories of Birds and Archaeology with us.
dcoronata has written some beautifully evocative diaries about birding in NYC over the years.
The Loud Edition brought that same warbler-style splash of color and song to Dawn Chorus. (ps – congrats to dcoronata for recently finding a very cool bird in Central Park!)
desertguy shared photos from (and information about) three desert preserves east of Los Angeles - it's a colorful pictorial oasis. Bookmark it to help plan your next trip to Southern California.
I love the purposeful stride of this Semi-palmated Plover. No-nonsense name for a no-nonsense bird.
enhydra lutris wrote about a relatively new way to help with citizen science, by adding your sighting records to the database at eBird. It’s easy, and it’s pretty cool to know that what you’re doing for fun (watching birds) can be a big help to researchers.
ivorybill took us to a birding "hotspot" most of us are unlikely to experience in the "Iraqi Kurdistan Edition". Any diary that includes a hoopoe is a sure winner.
juliewolf writes many great diaries about birds and bird photography, so it was nice of her to step in and add one to this series. I’m all ears anytime anyone wants to talk about raptors, so I just loved "The Mountain and the Hawks". She splashed a diary with bright colors for This Week in Warblers.
Do you really need a reason to include a Black Oystercatcher - isn't just general coolness enough?
Land of Enchantment has written two diaries on the topic of Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) – in 2007 and again in 2008. As you might expect from LoE, a lot of research went into these – putting together links to counts in all 50 states and some great background info on the count itself, one of the longest-running citizen science projects anywhere.
matching mole joined dozens (hundreds?) of fellow bird lovers to welcoming a group of whooping cranes to Florida in A (Happier) Tale Of Birds and Planes. (This was in the wake of the flight that ditched in the Hudson.) The young cranes had been trained to follow ultralight aircraft in flight, and were learning the migration route from Wisconsin to Florida wintering grounds.
maxxdogg gave me some time off by posting "Vacation Birding", a photo diary with pix from his travels in the Canadian Rockies, Costa Rica, Florida, Galapagos, Ireland, Botswana... and his own backyard. (I'm sure I missed a country or two...) Lots of eye candy!
Nestmaster shared information for welcoming birds to your yard to raise their families in Buildin’ Birdhouses. He included several examples of his artistry, some truly unique houses made of recycled material, made to specs with the birds’ needs as their primary focus.
Norwegian Chef shared his photos of birds both rare and common (a wild zebra finch!) from around in the world in his diary about Bird Photography with Bird Explorers. He and his partner formed Bird Explorers Project to promote birds and wildlife generally through digital photography with a particular focus on endangered species and species in very remote areas. He has recently moved to Thailand, so maybe he’ll share some pix from his new home (hint hint).
Harlequin Ducks - almost as exotic looking as some of Norwegian Chef's birds, and much closer to home!
pattyp wrote about a very threatened bird – the delightful Florida Scrub Jay. I’ve always loved corvids for their curiosity and intelligence, and would love to see these guys someday. This diary gives me hope that I’ll be able to – despite all the challenges they face, a group of people are working hard to help them.
Shaniriver did an informative piece on orioles. It's very well-written, but let's be honest - with orioles, the real action is in the pictures and this diary has lots of orange-flavored eye-candy. ( "> They are just some really fine lookin' birdies!
sheddhead was the very first guest-host with a piece to help Kossacks coming to town for Yearly Kos in 2007: Chicago Birds. I didn’t get to go to the convention, but I’ll make use of this next time I visit my sister.
tgypsy is one of the folks huddled in the fog at Woodbridge Road - she joined my banding team for a day of birding in the delta.
tgypsy has guest hosted a few diaries for the series. The first was just over a year ago when she wrote about Sacramento Valley Spring Madness. A summer trip that she made to Alaska yielded two diaries: Grizzly Bears Galore (plenty of birds to go with the bears!) and a month later, a piece on ANWR, made all the more timely by the introduction of a certain vice-presidential candidate in the meantime. She finished out my June swoon with a fun photo essay on the baby birds who can be found in the Sacramento Valley this time of year.
If you see any of the guest hosts in the comments, be sure to give them an extra tip!