Andy and other Tweets -

I've been a nature nut since I've been old enough to see. I grew up in
the middle of nowhere, in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Central
California where our closest neighbors were miles away. My paternal
grandmother (who was our closest neighbor) encouraged my interests and
took me on walks - pointing out flowers, birds, animal tracks, etc.. I
got serious about birding when my teacher (grades 5-8 in one room) took
up birding as a hobby and encouraged his classes to do the same.

We built nestboxes, put out colorful yarn so we could see the very
abundant nests of bullocks orioles who interwove the yarn with the hair
from the tails of the horses that were in a pasture across the road, and
put water out so we could attract feathered friends.

I was hooked. I started going on weekend day trips with my teacher -
San Luis refuges, Central Coast, Mono Lake. I was a GOOD birder. I
seemed to be able to locate things that others overlooked. But...maybe
I was too good.

We all remember the good old days of word of mouth info sharing about
rare/unusual birds. Well, I tried to work my way into the elite birding
"cliche" so I could get and give such information. I was told to "go
away - no 12 year old can really contribute here" (literally). It was
very discouraging. My grandmother saw what was happening and took me
aside and told me to ignore these people - she also took up the hobby
with me and started taking me on great California trips - some of the
desert oases, Salton Sea, Tule Lake, circling the Farallons, and even
hired a boat with a couple of other ladies to take us out off of the
coast of Santa Barbara. I was in heaven. I more or less gave up
birding when I left for college, and have been a casual birder since -
only recently thinking about becoming serious again.

Guess what - I still have the knack for finding the unusual - I don't
know why. And guess what again - I got a note from one of the local
prominent birders more or less telling me that there was no way I was
seeing all of the birds I said I was and should knock off the postings.
Birders are all so very nice - NOT. Well, I'm not a little kid any
more. My grandmother taught me well to just blow people like this off,
and I will - but jeez, what a way to get started as a birder in
Washington.

<Q) // Icarus was a waxwing;
((``// Too bad his dad wasn't a flycatcher.
||
^^

Rob Conway
Cougar Mountain, Bellevue, WA
47.551N 122.142W

robin_conway at hotmail.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Andrew Sorensen <ajstudio at ptialaska.net>
To: TWEETERS - Northwest birding email <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Question: How did you get started birding?

As a relative newcomer to this list, this question may have already had
its day. But, I thought I would ask it, and see what kind of response
it generated. I'm sure there are some wonderful stories to be told, and
I for one would like to hear them.

I'll work on my own story should this `thread' prove worthy.

Andy
>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<
"If you're bored with birds, you're bored with life."
--- Roger Tory Peterson
>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<








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