Here are the highlights of the birding year, across 63 TWiB newsletters! The year started with quite a bit of focus on wetlands, as World Wetlands Day took place in February and the FLUDDLES film project came to life. Then there were some travels, including dispatches from the Bahamas and Arkansas. Of course, Piping Plovers were a headline again, though we mourned the loss of Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford. There were some individual species like the Nelson’s Sparrow and the Limpkin—and oh my, there were a lot of Limpkins.
Now, on to the five most-viewed newsletters of 2023:
1️⃣ The McCormick Place collision event
The joy of fall migration took a tragic turn when hundreds of birds perished due to window collisions along Lake Michigan. The story made national news and led to a commitment by the convention center to address the problem.
2️⃣ A running diary from a Backyard Big Sit
One morning of bird observation offered several interesting sightings—and reflections on nature and other stuff.
3️⃣ Holy robins, batman!
A weird phenomena in the backyard of TWiB headquarters was the source of this post, a video taking a look at an unusual gathering of Turdus migratorius.
4️⃣ Scary, scary stuff
Spend enough time in local social media groups, and one realizes that a large segment finds neighborhood wildlife fearsome. Even a Red-bellied Woodpecker might be viewed as a worry.
5️⃣ Mallow no longer fallow
A favorite theme of this newsletter has to do with the mighty efforts of conservation volunteers. They are mostly in it for the satisfaction of making a difference in nature. That’s why what’s happened at Langham Island is all the more remarkable.
Thank you for supporting and reading this newsletter in 2023!