Hi, Tweeters,

Somehow it doesn't seem fair to include exotic, non North American birds on
this bird of the year list. Not that I've not done birding on other
continents myself, but most of the people on this list have never been to
Nepal or Australia and have about a snow ball's chance to ever do that.

So could we keep it to North American species?

And while I'm at it...you may all laugh at me but go ahead, I have the hide
of a rhino.
My bird of the year is the lowly, the cosmopolitan and the highly secretive
BUSHTIT.
Yes, I know, you've all heard them if you've ever been birding in a forest,
but even though I've heard them for years and years, knowing what they are,
I've never SEEN one until this past summer. The bushtit literally landed
before my eyes on a limb not five feet from my face, looked at me, I looked
at him. He gave me a good view of both sides of his body and then wfft off he
went, back to the top of the 100 foot fir where he lives. He was a lifelist
bird for me, because I'm one of the "I have to see him to count him" types.

Michelle Blanchard
MBlanchrd at aol.com
Oly, WA