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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: SEmertsr at aol.com

Hello All,

"The weather outside is frightful"; the line from the popular holiday song
has a whole new meaning for the freaky freeze now in Seattle. I thought
you could use some cheer from a tropical place which is currently hotter
(sweltering to someone from Seattle) than normal. I am visiting my
parents in Fruitland Park, Florida, on the shores of Lake Griffin about 50
miles N/NW of Orlando. They, both in their mid-seventies, have just set up
their first computer (an iMac system) and are learning email, word
processing, etc. I am sending this report through my father's new AOL
account.

Any of you who have visited Florida know how remarkable birding can be
here. I have added two life birds, the White-eyed vireo and the Tricolored
heron, to my list. A tad earlier today whilst out casually surveying a
closeby swampy lakeshore/canal area, I could compare both immature and
adult-plumed Little Blue herons, Great Blue heron, Snowy Egret, Great
Egret, Tricolored heron, Green heron and both immature and adult White
ibis all within a few yards of each other. There must be 100's of 1000's
to even millions of Yellow-rumped warblers wintering in this region. A
few species (Catbird, Brown thrasher, and the Eastern towhee) are
conspicuously missing because they are common yard birds, especially in
the winter.......a local birder mentioned that she had not seen these
species this season.

It may be of interest to include information from a local newspaper about
a neighboring CBC in Apopka, FL, a few miles south of my parents
community. Compiled on Sunday, December 20th, the count set a new North
American record with 176 species. Some very rare species for this area
were spotted such as the Eared grebe, Ruff and Lesser Black-backed gull.
I am overjoyed with my own personal walk-about survey of 50-70 species.
Will be returning to Seattle late on December 27th. Stay warm and safe
and hope the weather moderates SOON!

Cheers, Maureen Ellis........normally of Des Moines/soon-to-be Burien, WA
and the UDUB.
me2 at u.washington.edu (my Tweeters email is off-line till Dec 28)