Tweeters,

This conversation about "when lifers dry up" is an interesting subject for
us listing bird-lovers.

Do we watch birds just to increase our life list? If so, we can spend lots
of money traveling to every part of the ABA area, or the world for that
matter, to increase our lists but rarely bird in our home area. Have you
all become the go-for-the-gusto, chase every vagrant,
get-one-more-for-the-list birder that makes my wife sick. Notice I say "my
wife" because I really enjoy adding new species to my list as much as the
next person.

We can enjoy seeing a bird for the hundredth time if our attitude is in the
right place. The "right place" not being a judgemental statement but being
lined up with the cosmos to the point that we can appreciate what lands in
our sights, or our binos, and appreciate the beauty of a common species for
what it is - a beautiful, living creature that adds joy to our lives by just
being there.

Andy Stepniewski told me yesterday that he saw seven Western Bluebirds on
the hill behind his house of his walk-to-the-top-for-exercise and stopped
for about half an hour to watch and enjoy them. This is a species Andy has
probably seen a thousand times. He was enjoying the beauty of a beautiful,
though common, bird.

I religiously keep a life list, a Washington state list, a Yakima County
list, and a yard list. I really enjoy being able to add new species to each
list and have gone on a few wild twitches to try to do so. But I also enjoy
watching birds for the sake of just watching them. I have started taking a
group of people from our church on a bird trip every spring to raise a
little money for the church ($15.00 each through the church auction) and
share my love of birds with them. That gives me pleasure in bird watching
that equals, almost, the thrill of seeing a new species.

Learn to appreciate birds in a way that compliments the listing attitude.
Birds are a beautiful way to enjoy nature and share it with others.





At 09:20 AM 3/10/97, you wrote:
>
> >Try watching Television for awhile.
>
> >start a list of birds seen on ... I don't know...Channel 6 if you
> want.
>
> >When you're done with that try channel 7.
>
> >And movies.
>
> >See how many countries are home to screaming red-tailed hawks.
>
> >See how many bird of prey species imitate red-tailed hawk calls.
>
> start a list of the wierd birds your non-birder friends at work tell
> you they saw...
>
> Rick Romea "We're gonna need a bigger boat"
> Seattle, WA - Jaws
> romea at stiopt.com
>
>