.

Are you pulling my leg?

 

 

At first, I didn’t believe it. I certainly wasn’t expecting it, and it seemed too good to be true.

But there it was, in black-and-white.

 

 

 

Steph at Ink Chromatography nominated Next-Door Nature for a Liebster Blog Award!

Am I dreaming?

As Steph explained it on her blog, the Liebster Award “celebrates up-and-coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The aim is to spread the word about exceptional blogs that deserve more readership, by having each recipient of the Liebster Award highlight five blogs that he or she feels stands out in a crowd.”

It’s true, it’s true!

Out of of all the posts on all the sites in all the world, she somehow stumbled on to mine… and liked it enough to pass along the Liebster. What an honor! What a fabulous way to begin 2012! What better way to spread the word that there’s wildlife to be discovered and enjoyed right outside your very own door?

Even better, now it’s my turn to share the love (and readers) with some of my own favorite bloggers..

Rules of Liebster Award Etiquette

  • Link back to the blogger who gave you the award as a way of saying “thanks ever so much!”
  • Pass along the positive vibes to 5 deserving participants in the creative arts. List your nominees and leave a comment on their blog.
  • Post the award on your own blog.
  • Walk around feeling like you won the lottery.
Tag–you’re it!

Although I enjoy reading blogs on many different subjects, in keeping with NDN’s focus I have chosen other bloggers who address aspects of  the human-wildlife (broadly defined) interface.

And the Liebster Award nominees are…*

NATURE IN THE ‘BURBS

Written by a non-biologist, non-botanist, non-entomologist, non-ecologist, and non-politician who has a 50′ x 50′ backyard and enjoys glimpsing “those little slices of nature that thrive alongside the more than 10 million people who live in the Central NJ area.” You will, too.

THE FREE QUARK

Don’t be fooled by the name. There are no black holes here. Just Ingrid Taylar’s stunning  photography of two great loves: wildlife and urban things. She is a strict advocate of the ethics outlined in the North American Nature Photography guidelines, and proof positive that the shot doesn’t suffer when the welfare of your subject is your top priority.

BUG GIRL’S BLOG

It’s always a joy to find other scientists who made it through a PhD program with their passion for the subject matter intact. Chock-full of helpful information, from how to inspect your hotel room for bedbugs to how you can try entomophagy without actually consuming bugs. This blog is a veritable hive of insect data.

OUR URBAN JUNGLE

Adventures in urban wildlife and sustainability by a PhD candidate and graduate lecturer who lives in Washington, D.C.  Her research focuses on human-wildlife conflict, and one of my very favorite species… the poster child of adaptability and survival despite the odds: coyotes. But there’s more to this blog than good ol’ Wile E. It’s an Acme catalog for living in the built environment.

CROWDED CREATURES

911 Wildlife is an urban wildlife control company based in Texas that uses the most humane techniques available to resolve urban wildlife conflicts—techniques are endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States. They don’t post often (solving human-wildlife conflicts is a time-consuming endeavor) but when I find people who are doing this work as both a vocation and a passion-driven avocation, I like to spread the word..

One last note: Ink Chromatography is a new discovery for me, and I love Steph’s clever and fascinating take on all-things-science. She already has her Liebster, so I have not included her in my list of nominees, but be sure to stop by and check out her blog for yourself!

*It’s not always easy to figure out how many people are following a blog. I did my best to meet this Liebster criteria, but in most cases I’m just guessing.

© 2012 Next-Door Nature—no reprints without written permission from the author (I’d love for you to share my work; all you have to do is ask). Thanks to these photographers for making their work available through a Creative Commons license:locket479 (skeptical fox); Tim Carter (dreaming fox and joyful fox); and Pat Gaines (tag foxes).