WildBird Magazine is Gone

When Bill and I first began birding, we began subscribing to a magazine in 1996 called, “WildBird.” We pored over every issue, studying and learning about different species, birding locations, and birding in the field.  It was a wonderful publication and we learned a great deal more about birding than what field guides typically provide.  The magazine shared timely information, raised awareness about conservation, and provided details and photos beyond field guide offerings. We absolutely loved it.

We allowed our subscription to lapse in 2006.  Our children were small then and we didn’t venture out for birding much beyond our back yard.  To be fair, our 15 acre back yard provided an immense offering, especially for central Illinois.  But, our birding time in the field was less.  Our children were out of infancy, but still small, mobile, and less quiet (loud).  

Now that we’re beginning our big year, Bill unpacked our old copies of “WildBird” and we began researching birding destinations.  It occurred to me that we should really renew our subscription so that we had more current information.  What I discovered, though, is that the magazine is no longer in print. 

We’re very disappointed, but are researching other birding magazines, and hoping to find one that matches our beloved “WildBird.”  It’s tough, but I’m hopeful we’ll find another magazine we enjoy as much.  After researching and reading a comparison of the birding magazines here, we've decided to try Bird Watching magazine.  I don't agree with the author's assessment of WildBird, but, who knows, maybe we'll enjoy it even more than WildBird!

In other news, our bird count is up.  We visited Clifty Falls and Hardy Lake State Parks here in southeastern Indiana recently.

Between the parks and our yard, we added the following to our list:

Brown Thrasher

Carolina Chickadee

Chipping Sparrow

Cooper’s Hawk

Eastern Towhee

Mute Swan

Ring-billed Gull

and that brings us to 47 birds.  We’re hoping to add some more birds to our list on Friday, while we’re at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge here in Jefferson County.