Gary,

For clarification, I'm pretty confident you are speaking about Mike Toochin
and his wife Sharon!

Mike's brother Rick Toochin could not chase the bird today as he is at work,
but I am sure Mike did.no doubt they are used to being confused for each
other, but.!



David Allinson

Victoria, BC





Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:33:05 -0800 (PST)

From: Gary Bletsch <garybletsch at yahoo.com>

Subject: [Tweeters] suggestion for Redwing birders

To: tweeters tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

Message-ID: <20041223163305.48997.qmail at web51307.mail.yahoo.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii



Dear Tweeters,



Thanks to Gene Revelas for sharing this astounding

bird!



Thanks also to Rick and Sharon Toochin for helping

out. They stuck around after having seen the bird, and

put quite a few of us late arrivals onto the Redwing

after it had flown away from Milroy Street.



Now, may I humbly offer a suggestion to visiting

birders?



Spend some money in Olympia!



No, not tax dollars....



After all the kind words from bemused locals, I

decided to patronize a restaurant in the neighborhood.

The sushi bar on Harrison Avenue was a nice way to

celebrate after seeing the bird. I made sure to take

my binoculars in there, too.



It does make one feel rather the dork, carrying bins

into an eatery, but it makes a statement. Birders come

to see the birds, but they also spend some bucks in

local businesses.



I would also recommend the car wash on the other side

of the street. They give the vehicle a once-over with

big mops before the automated part of the process

begins. Fun!







=====



Yours truly,



Gary Bletsch



near Lyman (Skagit County), Washington



garybletsch at yahoo.com





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