Just wanted to say that I am Proud to be a Tweet. The long lists of birds reported seen can be a bit boring, as can the over-use of exclamation marks. The frequent use of " I had"/ " we had" is tedious, when isn't it really the birds doing all the work, fighting through each winter day, so they can be there to be counted, photographed, banded, ticked off, twitched and generally admired?But the last few months have shown me just how stimulating a public forum can be, made up of people whose only common denominator is our avian friends.

Recently someone took the risk of saying they were annoyed by persistent photographers at birding sites. This devolved into what I thought was a most germain ( and differing) set of contributions, which widened my own appreciation of the issues.

Similarly, the subject of Mute Swans ( a noted nuisance where I grew up), engendered a lot of serious comments about the methods and the ethics of their control as an introduced species and our general responsibility, c.f. the House Sparrow debate.

Discussions about woodpeckers also come to mind: why are there more woodpeckers around in Seattle these days?; what causes Acorn Woodpeckers suddenly to show up. Scrub Jays, hummingbirds, Purple Finches, all have been grist for the tweeting mill. Global warming is a recent biggie.And somewhere along the line, it does seem to come down to one person taking a risk, being forthright for or against something, making a statement or asking a question, without knowing there are many sides to the issue. So all I can say is: thank you all, Happy New Year and Carry on Tweeting.

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David Hutchinson, Owner
Flora & Fauna: Nature Books
Discovery Gardens: Native Plants
3212 W.Government Way
Seattle,WA.98199
http://www.ffbooks.net/
206-623-4727