Winging It vol. 19, no. 6

The final issue of Winging It for 2007, and the last to appear with my name on the masthead, should be in ABA members’ mailboxes soon. It’s a hefty issue, and I owe our magical designer, Ed, huge thanks for fitting so much in this time.

The ‘lead’ article is about a new consortium of birder-friendly lodges and other businesses in Panama; you can read a bit more about the Panama La Verde circuit in my entries from a visit there this past spring. Another fantastic tropical destination, Ecuador, is also covered in reports from the wildly successful ABA Conference held there this September; the curious will find more here.

Among the other exotic locales included in this issue are Venezuela and Turkey. There’s also home-grown news, though, including a wonderful account of a visit to Wisconsin’s Green-breasted Mango and two pages of sightings news from across the ABA Area.

Pete’s Tips are especially useful this time around, and book notices cover Sri Lanka, Europe, and Texas: how’s that for hitting the high points? There are lots of member milestones, and some enticing offers in Membership News.

I shouldn’t choose favorites, but Ruth and Alan’s introductory piece to The Biggest Twitch is as exciting as anything I’ve come across in a long time, and I’m pleased as punch that they will be here in southeast Arizona at the beginning of their big year–just as Wendy, Ken, and Malkolm’s incredible trek, which is also being chronicled in Winging It, continues on to Florida.

A thousand thanks to all the writers, photographers, and other contributors who have made my tenure at the ABA such a blast! I’m looking forward to seeing all of you again soon, at ABA events and especially on WINGS and Aimophila Adventures tours close to home and around the world.