Tweets,
I found this question quite interesting. One might say that my benchmark was
a comination of young childhood curiousty and a great backyard for birds.
When I lived in Eugene OR growing up we would have warblers, families of
Tanagers and Orioles visit, flocks of both Black-headed and Evening
Grosbeaks. Flocks during the spring of both Lesser and American Goldfinches.
So my childhood curiousty and exposure to nature is what lead me to the
natural world, yet a great backyard and camping trips to excellent places
like the Bandon area in the winter, Klamath, the Steens lead me to want to
know more about these extrordinary birds I was seeing.
My favorite group of birds is still passerines, especially neotrops.
Warblers, Tanagers, Orioles and others of that group can do wonders to a
child of 9 or 10!

Scott Downes
sgd24 at aol.com
Seattle WA

To identify a species should not be enough to quench one's thirst,
a proper thirst must seek to understand every facet of the bird's
existence.