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Bird Watcher's Digest shut down just before Christmas and it wasn't expected to ever see light again.
Julie Zickefoose, advising editor, said she got the first email from potential owners on Jan. 28.
"It has proceeded with lightning speed," she said.
Tucson, Ariz., resident Rich Luhr is a newbie at birding, but he's been learning since taking on the magazine with Terre Haute, Ind., attorney Mike Sacopulos.
"I got married six months ago," Luhr said. "She was friends with Mike and used to enjoy birding and hadn't done it in years. She thought we could do it together."
He got a pair of binoculars and hit the wooded trails where he found it was a lot of fun and "a good excuse for a nice walk."
He learned about the Bird Watcher's Digest closing and his wife said he should tell Sacopulos and that he would love the opportunity.
"It was an opportunity to save a magazine that's well respected," Luhr said.
Sacopulos took over the position of publisher with his knowledge of birding, while Luhr knew the magazine side of things.
"I'm learning a tremendous amount. Everyone else on staff has been (birding) for decades," he said. "Listening to them talk, I learn so much."
Zickefoose said most of the staff from the old Bird Watcher's Digest will remain.
"That was a real concern when so many people were out of work right before Christmas," she said.
This time, the owners are focusing solely on the magazine rather than products and auxiliary publications.
"We were leading trips for subscribers. We had so many things going on," she said. "We had a podcast and blog. We're now stripped down to one magazine and one electronic newsletter."
She said from comments she's received, people are really excited about BWD starting fresh.
Luhr said the old digest was "shut down and never coming back."
"It will soon be completely dissolved," he said.
This new entity will be virtual with no brick and mortar headquarters. Luhr said most of the staff work from home and are scattered all over the U.S.
He said they are retaining the same publishing schedule as before, with six issues a year.
"We're trying to respect the long history of Bird Watcher's Digest and the heritage and history there," he said. "We're keeping the content mostly the same."
He said they wanted to maintain a high level of intelligence with articles. There is thoughtful, expert knowledge, but they are "just updating the magazine to the 21st century."
Luhr said the small size of the digest didn't do justice to the incredible bird photography.
The new magazine is full sized and will have "full page images with incredible detail," he said.
"It will be more readable and look better. It will be a more attractive thing to have on the coffee table. We're just unlocking what was always there."
As part of the agreement with the former owner, Luhr and Sacopulos will retain the subscriber database.
Those who were previously subscribed will get a free equivalent subscription.
"If they have three issues left, they'll get three free issues," Luhr said. "If they have two years left, they'll get two years."
The price will go from $19.99 per year to $26 per year, he said.
"We tried to keep the price very reasonable, but it hadn't been adjusted in decades," he said.
Zickefoose said she is now painting the cover for the first new edition. There will be a new website and rebuilt Facebook page at facebook.com/BWDmag/.
"This is not a corporate takeover," she said. "It's a small magazine publisher helping out a small publication."
Michele Newbanks can be reached at mnewbanks@mariettatimes.com.