Several months have passed since Gabby Jukkala’s and my article was accepted for publication in the Journal of Avian Biology. We have been anxiously tapping our feet while the wheels turn and our article comes out in the journal. This has just happened. You may now view our article here.  Gabby and I are thrilled that: 1) our article has been selected as “Editor’s Choice” for this issue of the journal, 2) Linda Grenzer’s nice photo of the female on her lake with a chick from 2015 is the cover photo for the issue (and a second is featured in the blog spot), and 3) the journal has included extra information about us and our article on their website here.

I have already described the findings we report in the article, so I will not rehash those here, but do take a look at the article, which the journal is making available free of charge, since it is “Editor’s Choice”. It is a very small honor, in fact. Still, these days I am often on the Newport Pier, as that is a good local birding spot and I must prepare for the Ornithology class I am teaching this fall. Whenever a member of my study species wanders nearby, as it forages for mackerel or smelt, I find myself smiling a bit more strongly than before.