> ......It never ceases to amaze me when I ask people who are
>driving through the refuge if "they saw anything interesting?", only to
>get the stupifying(at least to me) reply: " Oh, nothing much!!!"
>Amazing!!!! I see birds and wildlife 'everywhere'!!

>Gerald Hamilton

I am always reduced to near muteness by this question. Is the person asking
it a sales clerk who would only notice a Bald Eagle if it ate her dog, or is
it Ace Birder wanting to know if I'd had any new State Records. If I see
$800 binoculars around the asker's neck, I get afraid they are Listers (with
a capital "L"), and the mention of a non-italicized bird will be met with
contempt. If there are no binoculars, I get afraid that if I mention
"Gadwall" I'll be greeted with a blank expression. So I usually say
something generic like "Nothing too unusual, but it's always nice to look at
the birds", and see if the conversation moves from there. It's probably a
personal problem...

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland WA
== MJCT_Hobbs at msn.com