Julie Davis; David Bates; Sara Beesley; David Bell; Neil Hayward; Willie Hendrickson; Karyl Gabriel; Amanda Mangan; David McQuade; Judy Pollock; Paul Riss; Jordan Roderick; Jeff Rusinow; Chris Sloan; Arnella Trent; Magill Weber
The American Birding Association (ABA) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, dedicated to recreational birding in Canada and the United States. It has been called "the standard-bearer for serious birding in North America."[1] Originally concentrated on finding, listing, and identifying rare birds, the ABA now seeks to serve all birders with a wide range of services and publications.
In December 1968, in the first issue (volume 0, number 0) of The Birdwatcher's Digest, Jim Tucker proposed the formation of a group to be known as the "American Birdwatchers' Association" for the exchange of information and the comparison of birding lists.[2][3]
On the suggestion of Stuart Keith, the next issue of Tucker's newsletter bore the name Birding (volume 1, number 1). This January/February 1969 issue included a statement of intentions and objectives and three pages of lists, including the birders with the top ten lists for the world and for the area then covered by the checklist of the American Ornithologists' Union.[2] The organization was renamed the American Birding Association.[3] Expressly excluding conservation advocacy and ornithological research, the ABA's initial focus was on the hobby and sport of birding.[2] Through its publications and events, the early ABA sought to connect avid birders, establish rules for listing, and communicate the latest identification techniques.[3] By 1970, the organization had more than 500 members.[2]
The first officers included Keith as president, Arnold Small as vice president, and Tucker as secretary and treasurer. Shortly thereafter, Joseph W. Taylor became treasurer, and Bob Smart joined as second vice president. Benton Basham became membership chairman in 1971, and was responsible for much of the organization's growth.[2]
Beginning with volume 3 (1971), Birding was redesigned as a magazine; the annual page count increased to 258 from 96 in 1970.[3] The last issue of 1971 introduced a new full-color logo, designed by Guy Tudor, with the image of a red-billed tropicbird.[2][4]
Subsequent presidents of the organization have included Arnold Small (1976-1979),[6] Joseph W. (Joe) Taylor (1979-1983),[7] Lawrence G. (Larry) Balch (1983-1989),[8] and Allan Keith (1989-1993; 1997–1999).[9] As of 2022, Julie Davis is the current board chair and interim president of the ABA.[10]
Membership rose to 6,500 by October 1986[8] and first exceeded 10,000 in October 1992.[9] The ABA attained a high of 22,000 members in 2001.[11]
A monthly newsletter, Winging It, was published from 1989 to 2012.[9] In 1998, the ABA assumed responsibility for the publication of the National Audubon Society's journal Field Notes, subsequently renamed North American Birds.[12] The quarterly "Birder's Guide" first appeared in 2013.
In 2000, the ABA assumed management of the Institute for Field Ornithology workshops conducted by the University of Maine at Machias.[13]
The ABA's mission has expanded to support conservation and research efforts, beginning with its partnership with Birders' Exchange, a program supplying research equipment to young scientists in Central and South America.[12][14] Conservation-oriented content began to appear more frequently in Birding with the 2001 volume.[15]
Publications
The ABA publishes three periodical publications, offering them in print and online formats. The ABA also hosts two blogs and a podcast. The ABA partners with and advises Scott & Nix, Inc., publisher of a series of recent and forthcoming ABA State Guides. The ABA also publishes a regularly updated checklist and occasional eBooks and monographs.
Print publications
The ABA publishes Birding, its bimonthly magazine; North American Birds, the quarterly "journal of record" for North American birdlife; and Birder's Guide, a quarterly publication with a rotating schedule of themes. All three journals are offered in print and online formats.
The ABA has published bird-finding guides to various states and regions of the United States and the Caribbean (10 titles are in print). The ABA is a partner in the ongoing publication of a series of photographic field guides to the birds of particular states (12 titles).[16]
Online publications
The ABA maintains a multiauthored blog[17] and a multi-voiced podcast;[18] ABA's youth program hosts the blog The Eyrie.[19] The ABA's journals Birding, North American Birds, and Birder's Guide are offered online, as well as in print.
ABA Checklist
The ABA publishes a checklist of the more than 1000 bird species found in the ABA area (the entirety of the United States and Canada, plus St. Pierre et Miquelon).[20] Updates to the most recent print edition are available online.[21] The Checklist provides the common names established and recommended by the American Ornithological Society, and it is one of the authorities consulted by the compilers of many popular bird identification guides in order to establish ranges and the status of populations.[22][23][24]
Programs
The ABA offers birding camps, sponsors youth teams in birding competitions, provides scholarships, and conducts an annual ABA Young Birder of the Year Contest.[19][25]
Members interested in bird listing share their totals at Listing Central.[26]
The organization promulgates a Code of Birding Ethics, guiding birders to protect birds, the environment, and the rights of others.[27]
In addition to offering ABA apparel,[28] the organization has partnered with for-profit companies to sell identification and bird-finding guides, binoculars, and items related to conservation.[29]
The ABA offers birding rallies, tours, and workshops (through the ABA Institute for Field Ornithology) throughout the world.[30] The IFO workshops, established to foster cooperation between professional and amateur ornithologists, blend classroom instruction and field study.[13]
Awards
The ABA presents several awards for promoting the cause of birding, advancing the state of ornithology, and making significant contributions to education and conservation. In 1980, it initiated the Ludlow Griscom Award to recognize "outstanding contributions to excellence in field birding;"[31] it is often called birding's highest honor.[32] In 2000, the awards program was expanded to include the Chandler Robbins Award for Education/Conservation, the Claudia Wilds Award for Distinguished Service, and the Roger Tory Peterson Award for Promoting the Cause of Birding. The Robert Ridgway Award for Publications in Field Ornithology was added in 2002. The Griscom Award now specifically recognizes outstanding contributions to regional ornithology.[33]
In 2014, the ABA introduced the Betty Petersen Award for Conservation and Community, to honor "those who have made great strides in expanding, diversifying, and strengthening the birding community, and those who have worked to build a support network for conservation." The first, posthumous recipient was Betty Petersen.[34] In 2015, the award was granted to Jack Siler;[35] Ann Nightingale received the award in 2016;[36] Judy Pollock was honored in 2017.[37]
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by listening for bird sounds, watching public webcams, or by viewing smart bird feeder cameras.
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its members are primarily professional ornithologists, although membership is open to anyone with an interest in birds. The society publishes the two scholarly journals, Ornithology and Ornithological Applications as well as the AOS Checklist of North American Birds. The American Ornithological Society claims the authority to establish standardized English bird names throughout North and South Americas.
A big year is a personal challenge or an informal competition among birders who attempt to identify as many species of birds as possible by sight or sound, within a single calendar year and within a specific geographic area. Popularized in North America, big years are commonly carried out within a single U.S. state or Canadian province, or within larger areas such as the Lower 48 contiguous states, within the official American Birding Association (ABA) area, or sometimes the entire globe. The ABA big year record of 840 species was set by John Weigel of Australia in 2019. The big year world record of 6,852 species was set in 2016 by Arjan Dwarshuis of the Netherlands.
David Allen Sibley is an American ornithologist. He is the author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds, which rivals Roger Tory Peterson's as the most comprehensive guides for North American ornithological field identification.
Birding is the bimonthly magazine of the American Birding Association. Birding publishes articles on field identification, bird conservation, notable sightings, and other subjects of interest to the birding community. Each issue also includes critical reviews of new equipment and books. Ted Floyd and Frank Izaguirre are the magazine's editors.
Kenn Kaufman is an American author, artist, naturalist, and conservationist, known for his work on several popular field guides of birds and butterflies in North America.
Ludlow Griscom was an American ornithologist known as a pioneer in field ornithology. His emphasis on the identification of free-flying birds by field marks became widely adopted by professionals and amateurs. Many called him "Dean of the Birdwatchers."
The Georgia Ornithological Society is the principal birding and bird conservation organization in the American state of Georgia.
The Gower Ornithological Society is a society for professional and amateur birdwatchers covering the geographical areas of south Wales comprising Gower, Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot.
The Ludlow Griscom Award for Outstanding Contributions in Regional Ornithology is an award bestowed by the American Birding Association upon individuals who are determined to have "dramatically advanced the state of ornithological knowledge for a particular region," through long-term studies of status and distribution, the writing and/or publication of field guides to birds of a certain area, work as part of a breeding bird atlas project, through the publishing of academic papers on regional ornithology, or through their efforts in inspiring and teaching about the subject of birding.
Chandler Seymour Robbins was an American ornithologist. His contributions to the field include co-authorship of an influential field guide to birds, as well as organizing the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
The ABA Chandler Robbins Award for Education/Conservation is an award given by the American Birding Association to an individual who has made significant contributions either to the education of birders or to bird conservation and the "management or preservation of habitats on which birds and birding depends." The award may also recognize efforts in both fields.
The ABA Robert Ridgway Award for Publications in Field Ornithology is an award given by the American Birding Association to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field ornithology literature in the areas of North American bird distribution and field identification. The award may honor a writer or an artist.
The ABA Roger Tory Peterson Award for Promoting the Cause of Birding is an award given by the American Birding Association to an individual who, over the course of a lifetime, has advanced the cause of birding.
The ABA Claudia Wilds Award for Distinguished Service is an award given by the American Birding Association to a member who has given "long and useful service to the organization," either as a volunteer or as compensated staff, in recognition of the member's dedicated energy and years of service.
Hawkwatching is a mainly citizen science activity where experienced volunteers count migratory raptors in an effort to survey migratory numbers. Groups of hawkwatchers often congregate along well-known migratory routes such as mountain ridges, coastlines and land bridges, where raptors ride on updrafts created by the topography. Hawkwatches are often formally or informally organized by non-profit organizations such as an Audubon chapter, state park, wildlife refuge or other important birding area. Some hawkwatches remain independent of any organizing structure.
Keith Russell is an American ornithologist, birder, science communicator, and conservationist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a leading advocate of bird-safe glass and other methods for reducing mortality of migrating songbirds in urban environments. He is currently the program manager for urban conservation for Pennsylvania Audubon.
John W. Vanderpoel is an American birdwatcher, birding guide, and author born in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines Illinois. With a degree in biology focusing on ornithology Vanderpoel completed a birding Big Year in 2011 where he saw 744 bird species in North America, placing him one species away from the all-time record. His book Full Chase Mode details his adventures during 2011.
References
↑ Weidensaul, Scott (2008). Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding. Orlando, Fla.: Harcourt, Inc. p.262. ISBN978-0156033558.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Wilds, Claudia (February 1994). "The ABA from Hatching to Fledging". Birding. 26 (1): 34–37.
1 2 3 4 5 Floyd, Ted (January–February 2006). "The History of Birding, Part I. 1968-1974". Birding. 38 (1): 20–21.
↑ "ABA Logo Change". Birding. 41 (6): 23. November 2009.
1 2 American Birding Association. "The Eyrie". Retrieved 25 January 2018.
↑ American Birding Association (2009). ABA Checklist: Birds of the Continental United States and Canada (7thed.). American Birding Association. p.203. ISBN978-1878788436.
↑ American Birding Association. "ABA Checklist". Retrieved 25 September 2012.
↑ Dunn, Jon L.; Alderfer, Jonathan (2011). National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America (6thed.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. p.7. ISBN978-1426208287.
↑ Floyd, Ted (2008). Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America. New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins. pp.2–4, 499–504. ISBN978-0061120404.
↑ Stokes, Donald; Stokes, Lillian (2010). The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America. New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company. pp.xi–xii. ISBN978-0316010504.
↑ American Birding Association. "ABA Events". Retrieved 22 October 2012.
↑ Davis, William E. Jr. (1994). Dean of the Birdwatchers: A Biography of Ludlow Griscom. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p.198. ISBN1-56098-310-8.
↑ "Expert birder starts playing the field: he sets his sight on common species". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, CA. November 20, 2000. p.B1.
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