Audubon

You can buy a subscription to the bimonthly "Audubon" magazine, but the best way to get it is as a benefit derived from joining the National Audubon Society (currently $35/year). Conservation is a central theme of this magazine, but it also has lots of gorgeous photographs of sandhill cranes, snowflakes, caribou, and everything else that you might expect from a nature magazine, although the articles tend toward pessimism ('grim realism' some might say.)

There are also lots and lots of ads for people who would like to go eco-touring or birding in exotic locales. I learned to my dismay that I'm not even classified as a birder because I've never traveled somewhere to see a particular bird. I'm just a humble birdwatcher who tries to identify the avian species that show up at our feeders (everything from wild turkeys to ruby-throated humming birds.)

On the pessimistic side, the March-April 2005 issue of "Audubon" has warnings about global warming (which might affect the fertility of leopard geckos), Easter ducklings that parents buy for their children, then drop off in the local pond when they get too big (most breeds of domestic ducks and geese can't fly. Basically the unwanted ducks sit in the pond and starve), the over-harvesting of dead wood in European forests (Bechstein's bat nests in dead wood), and the American eel, which has to run the gauntlet of "bait hunters, turbines, and spillways...in a constant battle to hold its own."

There are some bright spots, too: the red-tailed hawk known as 'Pale Male' is holding its own in New York City, along with its mate, Lola. 'Freecycling' on the internet has "inspired more than half a million people to keep their junk out of landfills"--I thought this was going to be an article about E-Bay, but 'freecycling' is something different. It's more of an 'adoption agency' than an auction site. If you're interested in 'freecycling' your extra firewood or an outdated computer, check out the website at freecycling.org.

Anyone who is interested in birding, or the state of the world's ecology would do well to join the National Audubon Society. Your membership fee will help in the fight to protect endangered environments and species, and you'll get this interesting magazine as a side benefit.

This magazine is not only informative but also entertaining. I am so happy I decided to subscribe. The price is inexpensive and for all you nature lovers, you must have this.

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The articles are always well-written and very informative, but I love this magazine most of all because of the fabulous photographs that appear cover-to-cover. I frequently cut out the pics after finishing the issue and cover my office's cubicle walls with them -the wonderful colors of the scenery and the fascinating close-ups of birds and other wildlife just leave me breathless!!

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I'm excited to get the magazine, and Amazon usually has a deal on subscriptions, but in this case, it seems best to go to the source. They will reap the benefits of your support and today I joined for a year for only $20.

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