Note: This was supposed to be one of the first posts on my blog ever, nine years ago, but I never posted it for some reason. I post it now for historical value:

Birders at the Celery Farm have a tradition known as the Hour on the Tower, and it has started up once again for 2007.

The idea is for a group to assemble at an observation platform and see how many different species they can see in exactly hour. The group typically gets together at 8 a.m. on the Celery Farm's Pirie Platform, and attendance can range from one or two to a dozen people of assorted birding skills.

If you like birding and a bit of banter -- and don't cringe at getting up early on a Sunday -- check it out.

(List of 25 species, also including Rusty Blackbird and American Bittern, follows.)