First Friday deadline: Aug. 1

Got a knack for wordsmithery? Put your writing skills to work, and earn two recently published books! If your tale wins the First Friday contest, then you get your pick of reading material from the WildBird bookshelves. Will it sweeten the pot if I also offer a Swarovski binocular harness?

The contest details:
* 500-word limit
* fictional story with four elements: a setting, a character or characters, a conflict and a resolution
* deals with birds, birders and/or birding
* no anthropomorphism of birds

Send your tale to me on Wednesday, Aug. 1, in an e-mail or as a Word attachment. Include your mailing address.

With two or more entries, we'll have a contest, and the winner will appear on Aug. 3. Looking forward to receiving your story!