Three Years Already?

Last week I celebrated my third anniversary of becoming the About.com Guide to Birding / Wild Birds, and I can't believe how the time has passed so swiftly, and how the site has grown and developed. In the past three years, not only have I provided hundreds of articles on bird species, feeding birds, attracting birds, birding travel, conservation and more, but I've also done weekly newsletters, range maps, photo galleries, weekly forum contests and now the latest addition, a monthly bird photo contest.

When I took this job three years ago, my biggest worry was that one day I might grow bored with birds and that I wouldn't be able to come up with enough new information and new ideas to keep writing about with a frantic fascination. I'm astonished, however, that today I have an even longer list of "must-dos" than I had three years ago, and without exaggeration, it seems as if each week I have more ideas I can't wait to put into practice. In the coming year I hope to add even more detailed bird identification diagrams, more comprehensive lists of related content, more highlights of birding hotspots around the world, and in general just more, more, and more about birds.

Even more astonishing, however, is that each day - whether I write an article, help a reader identify a bird, respond to a forum post, or plan out my next piece - I'm always learning more about birds. I'm so glad I started on this crazy flight, and I can't imagine ever wanting to land.

Don't miss your chance to enter the December 2011 Bird Photo Contest!