Holy cow! Amidst all of my travel in May and June, a Birds and Beers opportunity has come together and I'm really excited about it! The next Birds and Beers is June 29, 2011 (next Wednesday). This time we’ve been invited to Lift Bridge Beer Company in Stillwater–we can sample some local beers! Take the afternoon off, do some birding along the St. Croix or just come for the birding company after work. Make connections, see old friends and welcome new ones! But wait, there's more!

This brewery is really excited about the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas Project. If you come and enter in data to the database, you can enter your name for a free growler of beer to take home. This is notes on any bird you know of breeding in Minnesota. Know of a coot nest (like the bird above)? How about a cardinal nesting in your back yard? Or an owl nest in a nearby park. Anything, this is important info that MN Audubon needs for the project. You can help birds and maybe win some beer. Everybody wins!

Thanks to Lift Bridge Beer Company in Stillwater for coordinating this event for birders and birds!

To get the latest updates on Birds and Beers, "Like" it on Facebook. Here's the official Facebook Event. I can't be in every state drinking every day and if you would like to host your own Birds and Beers in your community, that is okay by me. Here's how.

Birds and Beers is an informal gathering of birders of all abilities–if you’re interested in birds, you’re invited. You can meet other birders–maybe find a carpool buddy, ask about where to find target birds, share cool research projects you might be working on, ask a bird feeding question, share life lists, share some digiscoping tips, promote your blog–the sky is the limit. It’s low key and it’s fun.