A gentle call for paid subscriptions

By becoming a paid subscriber, you ensure the vast majority of readers may access this newsletter for free.

“The region about the southern end of Lake Michigan, in Illinois, presents an unusually fertile field for the ornithologist. Situated, as it is, midway between the wooded region of the East and the treeless plains of the West, with the warm river bottoms of the south, rich in southern species, extending within a comparatively short distance, and the Great Lake upon the north, northeastern Illinois forms a kind of ‘four corners’ where the avian-faunae of four regions intergrade.”

That comment comes from E.W. Nelson’s nineteenth-century account of birding in northern Illinois. The eponymous Nelson’s Sparrow was first identified to species in Chicago.

The dispatches that comprise this newsletter are indeed developed from a special place on our continent. These habitats and a unique variety of species are all apparent a short distance from TWiB headquarters.

This newsletter strives to convey the beauty of our “avian-faunae” while educating others, providing commentary, and hopefully some entertainment as well.

I struggle with the divide between “free” and “paid” subscribers. I see Substack newsletters—much larger ones than this one—that put most everything behind a paywall. I imagine there’s some financial reward to that; the down side is that the newsletter is accessible to fewer people. That’s at odds with this newsletter’s goal of raising awareness of birds.

Substack also encourages writers to offer benefits to paid subscribers (which I have done also). I suspect, though, that most people pay to subscribe to be supportive of the writer.

I’d like to keep this newsletter free for most subscribers throughout the rest of 2024 and into the future. I’d like to write only “free” posts. Any paid subscribers can certainly help with that goal. If you’ve been enjoying this newsletter, I hope you might become a paid subscriber also. Click here to get started or click the button below.

Like public radio, I try to keep these calls for subscriptions to a minimum. Thank you again for reading and wishing you an enjoyable summer of birding ahead!