Interesting stories!

I've gone through two cycles of birding interest - as a child I remember
the first bird whose name I knew (beyond 'duck' or 'pigeon') was the Great
Blue Heron, which I would watch feeding at my grandparent's cabin in Case
Inlet during the summer. What really got me into birding (and eventually
going back to graduate school) was working for the BLM in Oregon - among
other duties I performed Marbled Murrelet surveys, which is NOT my
benchmark, but doing the surveys forced me out into the woods at dawn.
On one of those mornings I brought my brand-new Peterson's and got a long,
close look at a male Am. Goldfinch, singing & flying around. I thought
hey! I'm even getting paid for this!, and haven't come to my senses yet.

Thanks,
John

***********************************************
REPORT COLOR-BANDED CROWS:
http://courses.washington.edu/vseminar/main.htm

E-MAIL Crow roost site information:
jwithey at u.washington.edu
***********************************************
***********************************************
John C. Withey
College of Forest Resources
Ecosystem Sci. & Conservation Div.
U. of Washington Box 352100
Seattle, WA 98195-2100

Phone: 206-543-2764
***********************************************