I and the Bird Original Archives

“A tiny wren was among the Chrysanthemums this morning,
noiselessly flitting in and out, like a little shade;
evidently in a state of the highest enjoyment.
No doubt I and the bird both took our pleasure with them in different ways!”
— Eleanor Vere Boyle

The original I and the Bird was a blog carnival celebrating the interaction of human and avian, an ongoing exploration of the endless fascination with birdlife all around the world. From July 2005 to  April 2011, I and the Bird serves as a biweekly showcase of the best bird writing on the web. And at #149 editions, IATB held — and may still hold today — the distinction of being the world’s longest-running nature blog carnival.

Blog carnivals, as defined below, eventually waned in relevance as social media channels became the preferred platforms for content curation. The bird blogosphere also evolved over time. However, the collaborative spirit that connected a community of hundreds of nature writers around the world still persists. In November 2012, I and the Bird emerged from hiatus to become a new form of blog carnival, one that seeks to present the best bird writing on the web in a more valuable and enduring way. If you haven’t seen it yet, enjoy the new I and the Bird!

This page serves as a tribute to the trailblazing spirit and inspiring creativity our international community of nature lovers exhibited over nearly six years of amazing editions of the original I and the Bird.

I AND THE BIRDS FAQ

What is a blog?
Funny that there was a time when people didn’t know what a blog was! For these purposes, a blog (or web log) is simply a dynamic online journal of activity presented in reverse chronological order, latest entry first. You don’t need comments, RSS feeds, or fancy blog software to have a blog; all you need is periodically updated content presented in the standard blog format.

What is a carnival?
A blog carnival is a periodic presentation of excellent blog writing, selected and submitted by the authors themselves. The first carnival, Carnival of the Vanities, sought to showcase posts that bloggers felt were their very best, which is why such a collection can be called a vanity. Subsequent carnivals developed in the same spirit, but were usually focused on a particular theme. The one that influenced I and the Bird was been the tragically defunct Tangled Bank, a carnival for science, medicine, and natural history bloggers. At one time, most niches of nature writing elicited their own specific blog carnivals; a comprehensive list of past and current nature carnivals can be found at the Nature Blog Network.

One of the defining traits of the original carnival concept was that the responsibility or perhaps honor of being the host rotated. Each installment was edited by a different blogger and hosted on that person’s blog. Though hosting a carnival demanded an excess of coordination, communication, and creativity, most bloggers claimed to find the experience quite satisfying. The potentially dramatic increase in traffic didn’t hurt either. When readers stopped following blog carnivals, the end of this unique internet art form was nigh…

COLLECTED EDITIONS OF THE ORIGINAL I AND THE BIRD

Readers with the time to browse should explore the links below. Each host endeavored to outdo every other in terms of originality and eloquence. You’ll find this archive a testament to the talent that emerged in our burgeoning bird blogosphere along with a shared joy in the discussion and discovery of birds and birding around the world.

7/7/05 I and the Bird #1 – 10,000 Birds
7/21/05 I and the Bird #2 – Charlie’s Bird Blog
8/4/05 I and the Bird #3 – B and B
8/18/05 I and the Bird #4 – milkriverblog
9/1/05 I and the Bird #5 – A DC Birding Blog
9/14/05 I and the Bird #6 – BirdChick
9/29/05 I and the Bird #7 – Bird TLC
10/13/05 I and the Bird #8 – Science and Sarcasm
10/27/05 I and the Bird #9 – Living the Scientific Life
11/10/05 I and the Bird #10 – Thomasburg Walks
11/23/05 I and the Bird #11 – The House & other Arctic Musings
12/8/05 I and the Bird #12 – Search and Serendipity
12/22/05 I and the Bird #13 (lost post) – Woodsong
1/5/06 I and the Bird #14 – Bird brained Stories
1/19/06 I and the Bird #15 – Snail’s Tales
2/2/06 I and the Bird #16 – Dharma Bums
2/16/06 I and the Bird #17 – WildBird on the Fly
3/2/06 I and the Bird #18 – The Birdchaser
3/16/06 I and the Bird #19 – Science And Politics
3/30/06 I and the Bird #20 – Bootstrap Analysis
4/13/06 I and the Bird #21 – Cup O’ Books
4/27/06 I and the Bird #22 – Home Bird Notes
5/11/06 I and the Bird #23 – bird DC
5/25/06 I and the Bird #24 – Rigor Vitae: Life Unyielding
6/8/06 I and the Bird #25 – Rob’s Idaho Perspective
6/22/06 I and the Bird #26 – The Hawk Owls’ Nest
7/6/06 I and the Bird #27 – 10,000 Birds (first anniversary edition!)
7/20/06 I and the Bird #28 – Bogbumper
8/3/06 I and the Bird #29 – Alis Volat Propiis
8/17/06 I and the Bird #30 – Burning Silo
8/31/06 I and the Bird #31 – Migrateblog
9/14/06 I and the Bird #32 – Sand Creek Almanac
9/28/06 I and the Bird #33 – Don’t Mess With Taxes
10/12/06 I and the Bird #34 – Tortoise Trail
10/26/06 I and the Bird #35 – Migrations
11/9/06 I and the Bird #36 – Words & Pictures
11/30/06 I and the Bird #37 – Five Wells
12/14/06 I and the Bird #38 – Ben Cruachan Blog
12/28/06 I and the Bird #39 – NaturalVisions
1/11/07 I and the Bird #40 – Peregrine’s Bird Blog
1/25/07 I and the Bird #41 – Snail’s Eye View
2/8/07 I and the Bird #42 – The Neurophilosopher’s Weblog
2/22/07 I and the Bird #43 – Earth, Wind & Water
3/8/07 I and the Bird #44 – The Greenbelt
3/22/07 I and the Bird #45 – Journey Through Grace
4/5/07 I and the Bird #46 – lovely dark and deep
4/19/07 I and the Bird #47 – Bell Tower Birding
5/3/07 I and the Bird #48 – Greg Laden
5/17/07 I and the Bird #49 – Via Negativa
5/31/07 I and the Bird #50 – A Blog Around the Clock
6/14/07 I and the Bird #51 – The Birdchaser
6/28/07 I and the Bird #52 – The Wandering Tattler
7/12/07 I and the Bird #53 – 10,000 Birds (second anniversary edition!)
7/26/07 I and the Bird #54 – The Egret’s Nest
8/9/07 I and the Bird #55 – Birdfreak
8/23/07 I and the Bird #56 – Big Spring Birds
9/6/07 I and the Bird #57 – A DC Birding Blog
9/20/07 I and the Bird #58 – The Nightjar
10/4/07 I and the Bird #59 – Naturalist Notebook
10/18/07 I and the Bird #60 – Search and Serendipity
11/1/07 I and the Bird #61 – The Drinking Bird
11/15/07 I and the Bird #62 – Greg Laden
11/29/07 I and the Bird #63 – The Greenbelt
12/13/07 I and the Bird #64 – Iowa Voice
12/27/07 I and the Bird #65 – WildBird on the Fly
1/10/08 I and the Bird #66 – Born Again Bird Watcher
1/24/08 I and the Bird #67 – Trevor’s Birding
2/7/08 I and the Bird #68 – Biological Ramblings
2/21/08 I and the Bird #69 – Living the Scientific Life
3/6/08 I and the Bird #70 – Earth, Wind & Water
3/20/08 I and the Bird #71 – The House & other Arctic Musings
4/3/08 I and the Bird #72 – Ecobirder
4/17/08 I and the Bird #73 – Snail’s Eye View
5/1/08 I and the Bird #74 – Consworld
5/15/08 I and the Bird #75 – Gallicissa
5/29/08 I and the Bird #76 – Wanderin’ Weeta
6/12/08 I and the Bird #77 – Great Auk – or Greatest Auk?
6/26/08 I and the Bird #78 – It’s Just Me
7/10/08 I and the Bird #79 – 10,000 Birds (third anniversary edition!)
7/24/08 I and the Bird #80 – The Hawk Owl’s Nest
8/7/08 I and the Bird #81 – the Marvelous in Nature
8/21/08 I and the Bird #82 – Sycamore Canyon
9/4/08 I and the Bird #83 – Wrenaissance Reflections
9/18/08 I and the Bird #84 – Audubon Birdscapes
10/2/08 I and the Bird #85 – 10,000 Birds
10/16/08 I and the Bird #86 – The Drinking Bird
10/30/08 I and the Bird #87 – Ecobirder
11/13/08 I and the Bird #88 – Aimophila Adventures
11/26/08 I and the Bird #89 – Bird Ecology Study Group
12/11/08 I and the Bird #90 – Jeffery A. Gordon
1/8/09 I and the Bird #91 – From the Faraway, Nearby
1/22/09 I and the Bird #92 – the Marvelous in Nature
2/5/09 I and the Bird #93 – Vickie Henderson Art
2/19/09 I and the Bird #94 – The Birder’s Report
3/5/09 I and the Bird #95 – Birds O’ The Morning
3/19/09 I and the Bird #96 – The Birdchaser
4/2/09 I and the Bird #97 – Great Auk – or Greatest Auk?
4/16/09 I and the Bird #98 – Biological Ramblings
4/30/09 I and the Bird #99 – Migrations
5/14/09 I and the Bird #100 – Nature Blog Network
5/28/09 I and the Bird #101 – Living the Scientific Life
6/11/09 I and the Bird #102 – Birder’s Lounge
6/25/09 I and the Bird #103 – Birdfreak
7/9/09 I and the Bird #104 – A birding blog by Gunnar Engblom
7/23/09 I and the Bird #105 – Picus Blog
8/6/09 I and the Bird #106 – 10,000 Birds (fourth anniversary edition!)
8/20/09 I and the Bird #107 – Liza Lee Miller
9/3/09 I and the Bird #108 – The Zen Birdfeeder
9/17/09 I and the Bird #109 – Madras Ramblings
10/1/09 I and the Bird #110 – Foovay’s Cauldron
10/15/09 I and the Bird #111 – Twin Cities Naturalist
10/29/09 I and the Bird #112 – Walk the Wilderness
11/12/09 I and the Bird #113 – The Modern Naturalist
12/3/09 I and the Bird #114 – The Life of a Bird Tour Leader
12/17/09 I and the Bird #115 – xenogere
1/7/10 I and the Bird #116 – Listening Earth Blog
1/21/10 I and the Bird #117 – the Marvelous in Nature
2/4/10 I and the Bird #118 – Ben Cruachan Blog
2/18/10 I and the Bird #119 – Somewhere in NJ
3/4/10 I and the Bird #120 – Sand Creek Almanac
3/18/10 I and the Bird #121 – Birder’s Lounge
4/1/10 I and the Bird #122 – Chuqui 3.0
4/15/10 I and the Bird #123 – Idaho Birding Blog
4/29/10 I and the Bird #124 – Birds, Words, & Websites
5/13/10 I and the Bird #125 – Twin Cities Naturalist
5/27/10 I and the Bird #126 – Coyote Mercury
6/10/10 I and the Bird #127 – The Drinking Bird
6/24/10 I and the Bird #128 – Bird Ecology Study Group
7/8/10 I and the Bird #129 – 10,000 Birds (fifth anniversary edition!)
7/22/10 I and the Bird #130 – Count Your Chicken! We’re Taking Over!
8/5/10 I and the Bird #131 – The Flying Mullet
8/19/10 I and the Bird #132 – Great Auk – or Greatest Auk?
9/2/10 I and the Bird #133 – A DC Birding Blog
9/16/10 I and the Bird #134 – Birds on the Brain
9/30/10 I and the Bird #135 – The Birder’s Report
10/14/10 I and the Bird #136 – The Birdchaser
10/28/10 I and the Bird #137 – The Greenbelt
11/11/10 I and the Bird #138 – Wanderin’ Weeta
11/30/10 I and the Bird #139 – From the Faraway, Nearby
12/16/10 I and the Bird #140 – Peregrine’s Bird Blog
1/6/11 I and the Bird #141 – Birding is Fun
1/20/11 I and the Bird #142 – Birds O’ The Morning
2/3/11 I and the Bird #143 – Slugyard
2/17/11 I and the Bird #144 – Greg Laden
3/3/11 I and the Bird #145 – Island Nature
3/17/11 I and the Bird #146 – Costa Rica Living and Birding
3/31/11 I and the Bird #147 – 10,000 Birds!
4/14/11 I and the Bird #148 – Madras Ramblings
4/28/11 I and the Bird #149 – Twin Cities Naturalist