ABA: people-watching

Wednesday’s convention schedule included workshops and an all-day vendor mart. I visited with various vendors, catching up on their products and on industry news. It was cool to see folks who cross my path only once or twice a year. (Click on an image to see a larger version.)



Pete Dunne’s got another book on the market. He said he wrote it in four days, including drily witty chapter titles, and it comes with a compact disc. No doubt the CD includes clips that’ll sound familiar to people who’ve watched the video clips in this post.

If you read this post about Jen Brumfield’s artwork, you might enjoy seeing the distinctive artist. She completed another book this spring – illustrations and text about dragonflies and damselflies. It’s receiving rave reviews about the quality of the art.



Another artist who appeared previously on the blog has joined this week’s festivities. Radeaux, who created the poster for International Migratory Bird Day, has many pieces on display, and I’m hoping to purchase a watercolor before the end of the week.



I was stoked to catch sight of a WildBird columnist, Noah Strycker, in the vendor hall. Noah writes the Birdboy column in each issue, and this was the first time that our paths crossed. I hope to gab more before Saturday night.



Noah previously earned the ABA Young Birder of the Year Award, and his successor is Adam Nisbett, who also joined this week’s activities. I’m pleased to see the younger generation of birders at the convention, and I hope to see more of their peers at future events.



The next generation of birders depends on older birders’ mentorship and funding for opportunities to expand their skills. Let’s do more to support them locally and nationally!

And the social day ended on a fabulous note with dinner at a local eatery, McLaughlin's (on Main Street) with fun-lovin' folks like Birdchick.