Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Still Bird Blogging

Mike Bergin asks: "Why are you still bird blogging?"

Now some readers might wonder whether I am still bird blogging. In recent weeks, posting topics have included public transportation, Daily Show videos, Supreme Court decisions, Bush administration follies, the border wall, a pink millipede, climate change, federal legislation, and Hummers. If you look back further into the archives, you can find many more non-bird topics, or at least posts that do not explicitly feature birds or birding.

Contrary to rumor, I am still blogging about birds, even if the focus of my bird blogging has changed. While I originally intended this blog was to focus on birding trip reports, lately my focus has shifted more to bird and environmental news. So why do I still blog about birds after three years?

Here are a few reasons:

  1. Birds are endlessly fascinating creatures.
  2. I still watch birds and go birding whenever I can.
  3. I still see life birds from time to time.
  4. Birds are relevant to human health.
  5. Birds are affected by ongoing environmental problems.
  6. I am still involved in bird surveys.
  7. There is a steady stream of research about birds.
  8. Rare birds still need help and protection.
I could probably think of more, but those ought to suffice to answer the question. All of those things give me plenty of writing material and plenty of reason to keep writing about it. Plus, the knowledge that there are regular readers who are interested in what I have to write keeps me posting even through the most prolonged bouts of writer's block.