Hello and welcome to another episode of the American Birding podcast from the American

Birding Association. I am your host, Nate Swick, and we have something a little different

plan for this episode, but I think that you are going to like it a lot.

Last week, I returned from my first visit to the biggest week in American Birding, the

Big Bird Festival at the Migration Hotspot in northwest Ohio on the south shore of Lake Erie,

and I can report that all of the accolades about it are absolutely for real.

The weather was less than cooperative while I was there,

like it can be, you can't predict that. And bird numbers were down a little, but there were still a lot

of good things to see, a lot of excited birders, lots of good looks at species that I don't

always get good looks at. It's pretty amazing how that boardwalk at McGee Marsh seems to erase the fear these

migratory birds might have around people, and it puts them right down in front of your face.

It's really extraordinary. And I heard that things began to pick up once I had left for home,

which is obviously the way these things go, and diversity is quite good the last week of the festival.

And it's always, you know, a wonderful place to see friends from around the burning community, which is

half of the fun of an event like this.

So kudos to the Kaufman's, the staff of Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Rob Ritma from Sabrewing

Nature Tours, who puts together the bird trips, and all the other folks who work so hard to make this event an

unmissable one. If you ever find yourself with an opportunity to get to the biggest week,

try to make it happen. One of more fun events at this year's festival was a keynote panel

discussion led by Hott-Mifflin-Harkort editor Lisa White and ABA President Jeff Gordon,

and featuring a number of essays from the new book,

Good Birders Still Don't Wear White. And we are bringing you highlights from that panel discussion

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