Subject: mum's the word? (was "Pronunciation") -- also about BIRDS
Date: Sep 21 18:48:04 1995
From: "Lisa M. Smith" - subplot at u.washington.edu


On Thu, 21 Sep 1995, Dennis Paulson wrote:

[snip, snip]

> Has anyone noticed that there are a lot fewer messages on tweeters lately?
> Is it because Don is in Utah? Are we all busier since school started? Are
> we burning out? Is birding not what it used to be? Must we start another
> round of limericks? Note this is an ill-concealed ploy to get some
> communication going, now that the burst of activity surrounding the
> Fork-tailed Flycatcher has played out.

Yeah, I was just bemoaning this uncharacteristic lack of loquaciousness
earlier this afternoon, when I desperately needed a break from the routine
but nothing much was happening on Tweeters.

So, how about those Vaux's Swifts down in Portland? I drove down last
weekend just to see them roost in the chimney at the Chapman Elementary
School. Wow! Definitely worth the drive, indeed. Thousands and
thousands of swifts circling and swooping above--this was my first sight of
so many birds in one place before. So much motion! Funny, but watching
them for an hour brought on an almost meditative state. Has anyone else
experienced this?

Also, I noticed that the swifts seemed larger on the wing than did the
specimen that the PAS had on display. I'm continually being fooled by
size, though.

---Lisa

P.S. Many thanks to Ray Korpi and--oh blush, I forgot your name!-- anyway,
thanks to the two Tweets who posted the info about the swifts, as well as
the directions to the school! One correction to the directions: the
first exit off the Fremont Bridge is *not* Vaughn Street. I don't
remember the name of that exit; maybe it's 30. Whatever it is, simply
take that first exit off the Fremont Bridge, and *then* take the first
exit from there, which is Vaughn.

_____________________________________________________
Lisa M. Smith, Seattle WA <subplot at u.washington.edu>