Took a picture of myself birding in my new @aba.org bird of the year hoodie and knit beanie, and all I see are my flaws and insecurities. I had a really great morning birding though. I saw a Lifer brant at a city park thanks to my lovely local birding community. It was amazing. ❤️

Bird of the Year Program alumna Natasza Fontaine has an upcoming talk for Mass Audubon's The Art of Birds Lecture Series! On December 3, she joins Hyla Howe to present on "Formidable Females," a celebration of the intelligence, resilience, and artistry of female birds.

ABA Young Birder Camps: Save the Date! Registration for the ABA’s popular and acclaimed Young Birder Camps opens at 8pm EST (5pm PST) on Wed., Nov. 19. These camps fill up extremely fast, so please consider registering on Wed. night!

Join the ABA’s Chicago Spring Warblers Tour (May 18–22, 2026) and look for one of migration’s most striking gems, the Black-throated Blue Warbler. Limited spots, so sign up soon: www.aba.org/chicago-spri....

This Purple Gallinule is the first reported sighting in West Virginia in over a decade! What an exotic and special bird!! Lifer #239, and one I never thought I’d see! @aba.org #birds #birding #birdwatching #photography 🪶

Fascinating ABA podcast this week, reviewing the life of Roxie Laybourne, an amazing female scientist who “may be the most influential ornithologist you've never heard of”. #Ornithology

New episode of the American Birding Podcast! Smithsonian researcher Roxie Laybourne may be the most influential ornithologist you’ve never heard of. Her incredible life is documented by journalist Chris Sweeney in his new book. Listen here: www.aba.org/09-46-the-fe...

If birds were actually government drones, then there wouldn't have been any birds during the shutdown. It's over.

Spend the weekend of Nov. 22–23 exploring some of San Francisco’s best birding spots with the American Birding Association! All activities are free and open to the public: just register for the ones you plan to join. Sign up today! www.aba.org/san-francisc...

Come find the Rockrunner with the ABA! One of Namibia’s near-endemics, the Rockrunner is as elusive as it is unforgettable. Join the ABA Namibia Birding Tour (Dec. 5–15, 2026) for a real chance at this charismatic desert specialist in the rugged hills it calls home. www.aba.org/namibia-bird...

Join us on the American Birding Association’s Northeast Brazil Birding Tour (June 26–July 7, 2026), a 12-day journey through coastal mangroves, caatinga scrub, and the highlands of Chapada Diamantina.

I'm recently back from an excursion to the opposite end of the world so for awhile most of my posts will be from the southern hemisphere. I'll start with the aptly named Yellow-chinned Spinetail, a lifer (@aba.org ) seen during a stopover in Buenos Aires #Argentina. 🪶

A message of thanks and gratitude from the ABA's Executive Director, Wayne Klockner!

Registration is open for Camp Surfbird! Camp Surfbird is a unique overnight camp designed especially for youth. In partnership with San Diego Bird Alliance and the ABA, we’ve crafted an extraordinary birding weekend in Southern California. Register: secure.sandiegobirdalliance.org/np/clients/s...

Spend the weekend birding with the American Birding Association in San Francisco, California! You’ll meet great people, see amazing birds, and pick up new tips along the way. Sign up today and be part of the adventure: americanbirdingassociation.wetravel.com/trips/aba-co...

New book review of Lonely Planet's The Joy of Birdwatching! "A combination travelogue, photography book, and bird-finding guide, The Joy of Birdwatching presents 60 snapshots of places to see splendid birds..." Read Donna Schulman's full review: www.aba.org/a-global-gui...

@aba.org got my #lifer Clay Colored Sparrow way out of it’s typical range on the North Carolina outer banks recently! Then I got home to get my #lifer American Avocet in West Virginia of all places! Great luck with vagrant birds so far this fall! Excited for waterfowl this winter 😃 #birds #birding

Remember to tag the ABA account on lifer posts so we can amplify and help you celebrate!

Put in your bid on Julie Zickefoose's Evening Grosbeak Bird of the Year art! Evening Grosbeak was the 2012 Bird of the Year. Bid here: aba.org/auctions/

Don't forget to bid on Christina Baal's Burrowing Owl Bird of the Year art! Burrowing Owl was the 2022 Bird of the Year. Bid here: aba.org/auctions/

Chasing birds today in the Columbia River Gorge. Three lifers too! Little Gull, Little Blue Heron and Bonaparte's Gull @aba.org #birds

First ever ABA Bird of the Year, back in 2011!

Support real bird artists by joining the ABA and receive the Bird of the Year issue of Birding magazine in January! ABA.org/join

The Atlantic Region: Summer 2025 Regional Report has been published, Tufted Puffin being a noteworthy rarity! Read the full report here: www.aba.org/atlantic-reg...

Absolutely ✨stunning✨ artwork of a beautiful bird 👏

Put in your bid on Julie Zickefoose's Evening Grosbeak Bird of the Year art! Evening Grosbeak was the 2012 Bird of the Year. Bid here: aba.org/auctions/

Don't forget to bid on Christina Baal's Burrowing Owl Bird of the Year art! Burrowing Owl was the 2022 Bird of the Year. Bid here: aba.org/auctions/

Don't miss your chance to own an Andrew Guttenberg original! Common Nighthawk was the 2013 Bird of the Year. Bid here: aba.org/auctions/

There's only a few days left to bid on Bird of the Year art!

The Prairie Provinces: Spring 2025 Regional Report is out now! Read the report here: www.aba.org/prairie-prov...

The Prairie Provinces: Winter 2024–2025 Regional Report is out! Highlights include large numbers of Great Gray, Northern Hawk, and Northern Saw-whet owls, plus an extraordinary Sage Thrasher. Read the report here: www.aba.org/prairie-prov...

New episode of the American Birding Podcast! Can the various mating rituals, displays, and behaviors of birds apply to the lives of humans in the 21st century, with our own unique rituals, displays, and behaviors? Listen here: www.aba.org/09-45-dating...

Meet the 2026 ABA Young Birder Mentors! The ABA is thrilled to announce this year’s talented and dedicated team of mentors for the ABA Young Birder Mentoring Program: leaders, artists, writers, photographers, and conservationists all dedicated to helping the next generation of birders soar.

How cool is this! Go and get your read on immediately!

The October 2025 special issue of Birding magazine is available online, and, best of all, it’s free and open to everyone! The ABA makes all Birding special issues available to the public. www.aba.org/birding-onli...

New book review! The updated A Photo Guide for Borneo by Susan Myers delivers stunning photography and a streamlined look at the island’s incredible birdlife and habitats. Read Aidan Place's full review: www.aba.org/a-photo-guid...

The Southern California: Summer 2025 Regional Report is out! Highlights include a White‑winged Tern, Sooty Tern, and Swallow-tailed Kite. Read the full report: www.aba.org/southern-cal...

That’s me! In honor of the Grue Jay I came up with a list of other potential hybrids that’d have cool names. Mt favorite was Smooth-billed Ani x Groove-billed Ani aka the Smooth Groove Ani aka The Steely Dan Ani.

Our Bird of the Year Art Auction closes on Nov. 10! Time is running out to bid on stunning BOTY artworks by artists including: Christina Baal (Burrowing Owl) Rafael Gálvez (Green Heron) Sophie Webb (Ruddy Turnstone) Julie Zickefoose (Evening Grosbeak) Don't forget to bid! aba.org/auctions/

The Arkansas: Spring 2025 Regional Report is out! Highlights include a Clark's Grebe and Yellow Grosbeak. Read the full report: www.aba.org/arkansas-spr...

Another This Month in Birding episode is out! Listen to Jennie Duberstein, Nick Lund, and Brodie Cass Talbott to discuss casual eBirding, hybrid Jays, and what bird to patronize on Halloween night: www.aba.org/09-44-this-m...

Have you noticed changes to your eBird life list in the past several days?—likely a few additions, but also possibly a few deletions. North American Birds Editor Michael Retter walks us through the eBird checklist changes: www.aba.org/the-2025-e-b...

The New England: Spring 2025 Regional Report for the six-state region is out and highlights a busy season of movement and vagrancy in the six-state region of New England. Read the full report: www.aba.org/new-england-...

Check out Peter Kaestner's thoughtful review of Birds of Greater Southern Africa! The ABA is honored to regularly have Peter review international field guides from around the world in Birding magazine's reviews column. www.aba.org/an-excellent...

This recent episode of the @aba.org podcast is quite interesting. Host Nate Swick interviews Miyoko Chu, Senior Director of Science Communitcations at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Alli Smith, Project Coordinator for Merlin, about the Merlin app. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

The West Indies and Bermuda Summer 2025 Regional Report is out, and what a standout report it is. Among the highlight records were two first-for-the-Americas harrier species in Barbados. www.aba.org/west-indies-...

Lifer # 888 White-winged Scoter! Barnes Co. ND October 28, 2025 @aba.org

Vagrant Gray Kingbirds are showing up in out of the way places, including as far north as Quebec! Get the scoop from Alex Lamoreaux at the ABA's website: www.aba.org/vagrant-gray...

Amazing snail kite eating a snail in Estero FL! #lifer @aba.org #birding #birdphotography. I wish I was there for better circumstances, but getting outside to bird a bit is a tremendous way to cope with life's curve balls.

Sure thing @aba.org! Not a lifer lifer, but an ABA region lifer - Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary in Alameda, California. An Asian species, rare in CA. Found by Deborah Crooks two days ago, still here today! (ABA #691) 🪶