Subject: [Tweeters] RE: Hoodies & Woodies
Date: May 16 11:56:56 2007
From: Guttman,Burton - GuttmanB at evergreen.edu


Lee Rentz gave me permission to tell his fascinating story about the mixed nesting of Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers on our Birdwise TV program, on Thurston County Community Television. I taped it for the June show, and I want to thank Lee publicly for his report and for permission to use it. It shows how much the observations of birders can add to our knowledge of ornithology, and it reminds me that the entire classic series of Bent's Life Histories of North American birds was largely based on reports of amateurs. (And lest anyone think that "amateur" is some kind of an insult, I was reminded years ago that the word "amateur" derives from "amator" and means "one who loves" -- that is, one who engages in some activity out of love for it, rather than as a way of making a living.)

Burt Guttman
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA 98505 guttmanb at evergreen.edu
Home: 7334 Holmes Island Road S. E., Olympia, 98503