Re. Jim Rosso's recently forwarded item -

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>2. I hereby resolve to take at least one newcomer or youngster
>birding to introduce them to the wonder and camaraderie we all
>enjoy.

I have just returned from a two-week sojourn in the murky rains of the
Vancouver, B.C. area. On Jan. 3, I took my brother and his two young
daughters to Reifel Refuge in Ladner to see if we could spot a few of
the N. Saw-Whet Owls roosting there. As luck would have it, the rains
decided to stop for a day or two and the experience was very pleasant.
We found two owls right along the main trails: one in a doug-fir and
another safely ensconced in a holly bush. However, various groups of
noisy, fidgeting chickadees, sparrows and wrens in the brambles over the
sloughs testified to the presence of others in more inaccessible places.

The "ooohs" and "ahhhs" from my nieces and my brother as they watched
their first sleepy little saw-whet erased all the pain of the flaring
tendinitis in my left shoulder and reminded me why I do this birding
thing. If any of you can find the time and energy to do something
similar, I would recommend it.

Happy 1996 everyone!

- Jack Bowling





Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
CANADA
jcbowling at mindlink.bc.ca