Due to the incredible fundraising efforts of our Giving Tuesday campaign in 2025, WFO has been able to expand support of the next generation of ornithologists, including funding an intern position with our flagship journal, Western Birds, providing firsthand experience in scientific publishing while supporting the journal’s mission to promote the study, appreciation, and protection of birds in western North America. 

In this interview, we’re pleased to introduce Angela Tidmore, the Editorial Intern for Western Birds. She shares more about her role and describes her experience working behind the scenes at a scientific journal– both the highlights and some of the challenges. 

Please share a short bio: 

My name is Angela Tidmore, I work at the San Diego Natural History Museum, and I was born and raised in San Diego. I am a Trail Guide at Mission Trails Regional Park, a certified California Naturalist, and an avid bird watcher. My favorite local birds are Wrentits and Northern Flickers. I love traveling, picking up new crafting hobbies (most recently I have begun felting), and I have been writing poetry since I was very young.

What is your role with Western Birds? 

I am an Editorial Intern under Phil Unitt. I am both learning from and assisting Phil with all stages of copy-editing, corresponding with authors, making sure each issue is typeset correctly and adheres to Western Birds style. I also have taken on the project of fixing errors and optimizing the discoverability of articles on the new website transition to Open Journal Systems (OJS). 

Why were you interested in this position?

To be honest, I interviewed for an internship within the Birds and Mammals department at the Natural History Museum in hopes I would be working in close proximity with Phil as I am fascinated by the work he does for the museum. The description of the internship mentioned that the intern would work on Western Birds and I was so excited to finally use my English degree! After my interview, Phil asked if I would be interested in a separate internship opportunity dedicated to learning the editorial processes of Western Birds for the next year and I couldn’t say yes fast enough. I really admire how accessible WFO is to birders of all levels and I couldn’t wait to contribute to the important work it does.

Can you describe some of what you’re working on now? 

Right now I am in the process of re-assigning, creating, and registering DOIs for past articles of Western Birds. I am also in the middle of editing my 3rd issue of Western Birds with Phil. Right now we are in the early stages of copy-editing articles to be featured in the next issue. 

What are some of your highlights so far? What are you excited to work on? 

One early highlight occurred in the previous issue where one of the authors listed me in their acknowledgments for my assistance in editing their tables and figures. That felt really good! Another win has been successfully helping to fix the website as a journal manager which is a title I have never had before. I am excited to continue working with Phil on the journal and learning his techniques as both a writer and an editor. One thing I really admire about Phil is that he elevates editing into an art and it is a great privilege to learn from him. My internship is halfway over so I am soaking up every minute of it.

What are some challenges with this work? 

On both the journal and the website fronts, it takes a village to get everything to work. A lot of waiting to hear back from the necessary parties, then fixing the issues block by block. In regards to the website, OJS is a new frontier for all of us behind the scenes. I have never done website maintenance prior to this so it is a bit of a learning curve but it is satisfying to see my efforts paying off.

What are you focusing on for the next couple of months? 

I am focused on both maximizing the journal’s reach and becoming the best editor I can be under Phil’s thoughtful mentorship. It has been the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to spend so much time with him and grow as a reader, writer, and editor. I want to make sure that by the time this internship is done that WFO will have benefited from my time here.

June 2026 | Lauren Smith, Newsletter Editor