Twenty-five years? Could it be a quarter century since the first issue of Birder's World was published? The first issue appeared in January 1987. Even today it's a pleasure to look at, a success worth marveling at. Published before the days of digitalcameras, it delighted with gorgeous photography — the photo of the Evening Grosbeak on the cover is just a hint of the riches inside — and it did something that many magazines try to do but only the really good ones accomplish: It anticipated our questions. For readers who marveled at the amazing, sometimes odd, and always fascinating things that birds do day in and day out, the first issue contained eye-opening articles about the unusual habits of the American Dipper, the alarm calls of the Black-capped Chickadee, and the clever ways that the Killdeer keeps its eggs cool. (The Killdeer article was the first of many excellent articles that educator, biologist, woodpecker expert, and original contributing editor Jerry Jackson would write through theyears.) For readers who wanted to share in the fun of attracting birds, the issue offered a step-by-step description of how to create a bird garden, written by conservationist and 1973 Aldo Leopold Memorial Medal winner Gustav A. Swanson.
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