Patrick Belardo of The Hawk Owls' Nest served up a World Cup-themed I and the Bird #26.

For those new to this blog, I and the Bird is a collection of great blog entries of bird themed blogs. Are you new to blogging? Are you in the mood to find some fun and new bird themed blogs, here's your chance to sample some of the finest!

Here is a special note from Mike Bergin of 10,000 Birds who founded I and the Bird:

As I mentioned in my previous missive, the next edition of I and the Bird marks the first anniversary of our happy carnival, a year of collective bird blogging greatness. To mark this milestone, I'm hosting the first themed edition of IATB. To participate, send me a link to a post you've written addressing at least one of these three burning questions: Why do you blog? Why do you bird? Why do you blog about birds?

This special edition is intended as a celebration of the amazing aggregate talent encapsulated in our last 26 installments and is therefore only open to previous participants. Also, only posts on why you blog, bird, or blog about birds will be included in this edition. I and the Bird #27 will appear on these pages on July 6, so get those links to me by Tuesday, July 4.