Like Dennis, I am also fascinated by human as well as avian behavior (though
I must say I've so far not discovered a necessary correlation in our species
between bird-knowing and people-knowing skills). Particularly fascinating
is Dennis's exhortation about the great sin of the hooky-twitch and the
astonishing number of public (though virtual) confessions it provoked --
along with a few defiances. What an interesting bit of socio-religious
psychology! In between zoology as an undergraduate major and art history
for the doctorate I was a student of religion for a time and the Ross's Gull
phenomenon calls back some memories. I wonder, Dennis, whether you might
not have missed your calling?

Hal Opperman
halop at continuum.com