Ornithology is for the Birds!

The monthly challenge for the Mad Scientists of Etsy for the month of May was Ornithology. I was super excited for this theme because anyone who knows me knows that I am a birder. That is like a bird watcher on crystal meth. Birders like to count birds. Birders like to compete in birding competitions. Birders like to go to birding festivals. Birders like to post their sightings online. I am one of these crazy people.

So I was excited to participate in this challenge and join two of my hobbies, hand carving rubber stamps, and birding. So I should confess, it wasn't a "challenge" because I had a good backlog of bird stamps I had carved for the Shreve Migration Sensation this past March, so I have a good number of bird stamps done, and some more I will be posting to my etsy shop in the coming weeks. It's not cheating, it's more like being prepared ahead of time. Right?

Anyway, ornithology is not just for scientists anymore. There is lots of "citizen science" going on, like Project Feederwatch, and The Christmas Bird Count. Many familiar birds are now in decline, and organizations like the Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are leading the way in helping to preserve our important birding areas.

So celebrate the birds with me and the Mad Scientists with some great items from amazing artisans.