Subject: Re: Birders
Date: Apr 17 08:47:37 1997
From: Irene Wanner - iwanner at u.washington.edu


Hi, Jared:
I thought bird watchers were weird, too, until a few years ago when I
began walking three or four times/week at Seward Park. The birds were in
my face, so to speak, and I began to want to know (beyond the obvious)
what I was seeing. Esp interesting was how populations changed with the
seasons, how certain birds nested in their own "neighborhoods" year in and
year out (like people owning a home), how bad weather brought in rare
visitors, &c. I now like to listen and learn to ID the calls even if I
can't see the birds. Both seeing them and hearing them makes me aware of
the lives present here with us in the city that I might otherwise not
notice. They enrich my day. Last week, two redtails were soaring over
the Central District. WOW! And the moment the honeysuckle pops into
bloom, there will be hummers along with the regulars in my yard.
Irene