Gearing Up

Updates may be infrequent here for a couple of weeks or so, as we are all gearing up for the almost-upon-us field season. Also, many of us are taking care of other work responsibilities so our volunteer time can be freed up. Some of us have spent time in the search area, but we still have work to do before calling our effort fully underway.

Birders not directly associated with the Auburn effort have been spending some time in the Choctawhatchee area, and more will come as the season progresses. The three Auburn search teams might account for only a couple of dozen or so people in the area at a given time. DeFuniak Springs, Ponce DeLeon, Caryville, and the smaller towns of Bruce and Ebro may not realize a tremendous upswing in business, but surely the Bruce Cafe is selling a few more pork chop plates these days.

The Birds Etcetera (aka Birdstuff Blog) recently posted this item about bird tourism being an economic boon for local communities, as illustrated by this analysis of the second annual Florida Panhandle Birding & Wildflower Festival festival:

• Florida Panhandle 2002 (.pdf)