Hi Tweets,

Chris Maack writes:

>One experience of that which sticks in my mind was doing
>the CBC at Narrow Cape on Kodiak Island, where we walked
>along a high bluff overlooking the ocean, counting eiders
>and other sea ducks. Although we were so far away that I
>could hardly detect the colors on the head of a male King
>Eider, whenever we swung a big spotting scope towards
>a flock, they all dove. The scopes must have looked like
>big cannons to them.

Heh! I can be looking at ten thousand shorebirds and I've noticed it's the
one bird in the flock that has unusual features which decides it's gotta go
visit a relative in Chicago the instant it feels the touch of my scope on it.

Actually, the above behavior of your eiders suggests these birds have been
shot at before and aren't taking chances with those crazy creatures who try
to kill them by pointing things at them. Birds that are hunter-naive--ie,
returned waterfowl here before hunting season opens--are wary but not that wary.

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)