I am a "hatched-again" birdwatcher (my initiation must have been pre-

"birder"). My father was a lifelong fan and he got me started at an early age.

Throughout my late teens and into my thirties, birds took a back seat to many

other interests and concerns.

About three years ago I took it up again when a construction project I

had personal connections to raised my concern about habitat.

Now birds are once again playing a dominant role in my life.

I am interested in hearing more about the Savannah sparrow. Over the

past two summers I have observed a large nesting colony by Rogers High School.

They quickly charmed their way into my heart. How common are they? Do they

normally nest in large colonies?

As far as using scientific names, it's new to me. But they became a

useful tool this summer in Northern Honshu, Japan. Several species of birds I

saw either had the same name but different appearance or different name but

similar appearance to North American species. Since I only had a field guide

to Japan's birds (belonging to a friend), I jotted down the scientific names

next to the common. When I came home I was able to make comparisons.

Tweeters is interesting but I've been overwhelmed by the volume of mail

I receive on my puny little computer!



Michael Brown



mbeb1215 at delphi.com



Puyallup, WA