Hi Tweets:
I laughed out loud (LOL) at Denny Granstrand's whiny msg. about jinx birds.
I had always called them nemesis birds, but I think I like jinx bird better.
My jinx birds were Spruce Grouse and White-tailed Ptarmigan. Try climbing
about 1500 feet in elevation and hiking about 7 miles every time you want to
seek the elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan. I guess they are even hard to bag
up in Alaska. I finally had to go to another state to see both of the
birds. We went to Montana in September, and visited Glacier Nat'l. Park. I
have to admit that we were "driving around drinking coffee AND sodas, we did
munch on donuts, and we DID listen to NPR. Sheesh, I think Denny was
watching us or something. I got the White-tailed Ptarmigan up at the top of
the main pass over the top of the park, where birding friends told me they
were. Then I talked to a park ranger at a visitor center. She was into
birds and she connected me w/ the park wildlife biologist. I told him I
wanted Spruce Grouse. He got all excited and told me to walk up THIS TRAIL,
and SIT HERE! I did, and didn't get the bird. So I sat on a log, got out
my lunch, and started talking on my FRS radio to my husband, who was back at
the parking lot. Just then a beautiful male Spruce Grouse walked across the
trail 8 feet away, and then just kind of hung out very close to me. Wow!
When I got back to WA, I talked to people at the WOS meeting. They said
that despite all rumors to the contrary, Spruce Grouse and White-tailed
Ptarmigan are not a myth in Washington, and that they actually exist.
Yeah, right.
Anyway, Denny, thanks for a good laugh.
Yours, Carol Schulz
DesMoines
----- Original Message -----
From: "Denny Granstrand" <osprey at nwinfo.net>
To: <TWEETERS at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 9:08 PM
Subject: Re: Tropical Kingbird remains - jinx bird, not hardly!!


>
> Hi Tweeters,
> Scott Downes (see below) tells us he has gotten "this jinx bird off his
> back" after his seventh chase for a Tropical Kingbird. I hardly think
> driving around on paved roads searching for a bird qualifies for that bird
> to be a "jinx bird". Just consider my nine or ten (or perhaps even
twelve)
> serious struggles