Hey tweets, Great birds can happen to you at any time. I was standing
outside Seattle Academy yesterday on Capitol Hill, talking to a parent, when
I heard a jay being raucous. A flash of blue whizzed by and dove into a
shrub. I broke off talking and commenced to looking. Sure enough, western
scrub-jay. Wow. What an uplifting sight.

That jay reminded me why I am a birder. One of the best aspects of birding
is the surprise that can await you when you see a great bird. You get a
happy burst of joy that drops out of the sky with absolutely no warning.

Unfortunately, birding has another aspect, too: sometimes you have to pay
for your presents. We have all experienced those days when the sleet is
driving into your face as you slog along trying to find *the bird,* and you
never see it. Or you're sweating bullets as you tote a pack that started out
weighing 15 pounds but has now somehow gained a hundred, and you never see
the bird. Or... well, I could go on, but why torture you in this way?
Suffice to say that after the scrub-jay disappeared, I had to face an
offended parent and explain why seeing a bird was more important than
talking to her. My mind went completely blank. Oh well. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com