My favorite description from a non-birder was when my late mother-in-law
thought she had successfully ID'd a flock of 30 Yellow-Breasted Chats in her
yard, thanks to the bird book I had given her. Maybe they were Cedar
Waxwings, but who knows? Or maybe she was making birding history, but no
one would believe her...

Diane Yorgason-Quinn
Gig Harbor, WA
Avosetta at hotmail.com


>The all-time champ was always my mom, though. She would describe things
>that would drive an avian anatomist round the bend. One in particular
>proved impossible to imagine, let alone predict what it might have been.
>"It was sort of like a duck, with feet like a pigeon, only it was about the
>size of a goose, with mostly brown on the head. It had a roundish red tail
>and a small crest. I think it might have been some kind of woodpecker."
>After all the years I have birded, I now realize I have missed a wonderful
>opportunity. I should have started a special journal to record all of
>these descriptions (mom's and others'). Then I could have developed a key
>to identifying birds based on these descriptions by folks who notice things
>that we seem to miss.
>
>Good birding,
>
>Gary Bletsch


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