In the summer of 2010 there was a lot of soul-searching and hand-wringing about the future of the ABA. Could the organization survive during a time when their traditional role as an informational hub for birders had been co-opted or watered down by the internet? What could the ABA do that nothing else could?
I'm happy to say that the ABA appears to be going strong two-and-a-half years later. My primary point of contact with the ABA is on their website, which I think has undertaken an excellent transformation back to a hub for birders. Taking over listserv duties from Birdingonthe.net and turning it into the Birding News site was common sense genius. The blog is rejuvinated with great writers. And now they've re-embraced their core constituency with their new Listing Central site.
The ABA is moving in the right direction, and think all birders are happy to see it.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper in Shanghai
19 hours ago