爆料公社 Magazine / Fall 2021

You Can Count on Us

Dependability is the key to success鈥攆or birds and journalism.
Two White Ibis walk across green grass, their white plumage contrasting against their reddish-orange beaks and legs. The bird in the foreground clenches a chunk of bread in its beak. Palm trees stand, out of focus, in the background.
White Ibis eating bread thrown out by visitors to a park in Palm Beach County, Florida. Photo: Melissa Groo
By Jennifer Bogo
Vice President, Creative and Editorial
Published Fall 2021

鈥淢ommy,鈥 my four-year-old son recently asked me, 鈥渨ill you read me your 爆料公社 magazines?鈥 Heart melted, I immediately dropped whatever pressing Grown-Up Thing I had been doing. 鈥淏ut just a little bit,鈥 he added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kinda boring.鈥

To be fair, his preferred author byline is Dr. Seuss. Also, he hadn鈥檛 yet seen the photos by Tim Flach that open our Fall 2021 issue鈥stunning portraits of birdlife in all its varied glory that could absorb even a preschooler鈥檚 limited attention span. 

I will offer a strong counterpoint anyway: Bird journalism is not boring because birds are not boring. They are, in fact, endlessly fascinating. They鈥檝e evolved a breathtaking range of adaptations to occupy an extraordinary array of niches. They offer a window into a past we strive to learn from and a future we鈥檙e actively shaping. They reflect pretty much every environmental challenge also facing people today.

But birds need the world around them to be a little bit boring. They need dependability鈥攖he right resources, at the right time, in the right place. We鈥檙e still trying to understand the implications of disrupting those delicate cycles and whether birds will prove resilient.

As senior editor Jessica Leber found, some intrepid White Ibis have gravitated from the degraded Everglades to a more dependable food source鈥攏o matter that it鈥檚 under suburban picnic tables. After erosion washed away their barrier islands, Common Terns are trying out new nesting sites in Maryland. And the life springing forth in the revived Colorado River Delta hints at the possibilities that restoring a reliable water source can bring.

To survive today, birds also need dependable allies, and well-trained dogs are some of the most steadfast. With their human handlers, these working dogs are unwavering in their commitment to the job. (In contrast, John Williams and Charles Pennock may have done their part for ornithology, but dependable they were not!)

We realize you depend on us鈥 to help navigate the complex landscape for birds鈥攁nd to provide tips and ideas for maximizing your appreciation of them. To that end, we have redesigned the Field Guide section of our print magazine to bring you more in-depth advice and a greater diversity of stories. 

We hope that you agree: It鈥檚 kinda exciting.

This piece originally ran in the Fall 2021 issue.鈥 To receive our print magazine, become a member by .