Hey tweets, thanks to all of you who contributed to getting the white
board installed at the kiosk at the Center for Urban Horticulture.
It's been functioning now for three months, and people really love it.
The birders love the postings of the latest sightings, especially the
rarities. The community loves checking out the latest "gossip" about
what's happening at the Fill. I also post a list of all the bird
species seen at the Fill FOY.

The only complaint I've received so far is that the place-names
mentioned for bird sightings do not appear on the map attached to the
west side of the kiosk. This map, while quite beautiful, is not a
birders' map. It's more general and was supplied by the CUH. I've
talked to the staff about making a birder-friendly map available, and
we have come up with the following solution:

The CUH is going to install a real-estate-style box on one corner of
the kiosk. I have engaged to supply black-and-white maps in the box,
to be taken by anyone for free. If I get really ambitious, I will try
to print a bird list on the reverse side, with boxes to check off.

Fred Hoyt, the guy in charge of this, has told me he thinks there is
enough money in the budget already to pay for this box. If not, I will
find out what it costs and let you all know.

In the meantime, it occurred to me that - because the postings at the
white board change so frequently - you might enjoy accessing an
archive of previous postings and photos. Eventually, I will compile a
three-ring binder available in at the CUH library. But at the moment,
you can access the archives by going to my blog:

www.constancesidles.com

I've uploaded all of February and March and half of April. Thanks to
Doug Parrott (and other photographers), there are plenty of
illustrations to go with the posts. Please feel free to check it out
and email me with suggestions for improvements.

I would also like to encourage the regulars who bird other terrific
sites to consider doing something similar (if you aren't already!). I
have developed a sense of urgency about expanding the coverage of our
"special places." For example, I love the weekly posts about Nisqually
and Marymoor. I've been to those sites enough to be able to imagine
the birds there, when people post about them. There's something
indescribably lovely about being able to see them in my mind's eye,
thanks to the descriptions supplied by these dedicated birders/
posters. I love knowing what's going on in all these neighborhoods.
But I also think it helps when we as a state-wide (and larger) birding
community stay in touch with the birds in this way. It makes it more
fun for all of us, and also helps make our big tent bigger - which is
the main reason for my urgency. We have got to persuade more people to
*value* the habitat and wildlife in our state, without placing a
monetary value on it. Love of place and love of birds are "coins of
the realm" that trump mere money. My two cents worth! - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
www.constancypress.com


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