First Friday fiction contest: March 4 deadline

Words and birds go together, which the vast collection of birding books -- not field guides but other genres -- confirms. Not too long ago, the majority of birding books fit into the nonfiction category, but that began to change recently. We can see birders and birds more often in fiction, such as mysteries and drama.

WildBird knows that the birding community includes many talented writers, and we hope that they'll share their talent for wordsmithery in the First Friday fiction contest. Here are the contest details:

* You submit a 500-word fictional story about birds, birders or birding.
* The story includes four elements: a setting, a character or characters, a conflict and a resolution.
* The story does not anthropomorphize birds.
* You send your tale to wildbirdATbowtieinc.com before 5 p.m. PST on the first Thursday of the month, and you include your mailing address.

The author of the winning entry gets to receive a recently published book, such as Andrew Zuckerman's "Bird" or Don Grussing's "The Seasons of the Robin."

You'll find the previous winners' tales in the sidebar to the right. Will you join the contest this week and earn a spot in the sidebar?