I’m not necessarily a social media fan – it can be one of the least social technologies in our lives, as people focus on likes, shares, upvotes, hearts, and comments on a screen more than the people, activities, scenery, and yes, birds, right in front of them. But, it can also be a great way to connect with distant friends and family as well as others who share your passions, including birding. It’s very much a double-edged sword, and we all need to find our own balance.

As I try to spread the word of Be Your Own Birder – birding in your own way – it is necessary that I embrace social media. Doing so allows me to not only post blogs, but also host weekly bird identification contests and share birding news (on Facebook), share a wide variety of amazing bird photos and connect with worldwide birders (on Twitter), and share fun bird projects, highlight photoshopped birds, and post information about all types of birds (on Pinterest).

Now, I’m adding a new social media venue that will allow me to share and post the most beautiful photos of birds throughout the world – Be Your Own Birder is now on Instagram.

This is quite a trick for me, as I don’t own a cell phone or tablet and Instagram is very much a mobile device platform. Fortunately, there are workarounds and I’m slowly learning how to do it in my own way, just as we all need to be birders in our own ways. I hope you’ll join me on whatever social media platforms you prefer and we can all enjoy more beautiful birds together!