Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 09:56:17 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Kerry Stone Subject: An exciting realization MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Bird People: I realized this morning that I don't have to pee in the woods, drive an hour or two, or scan The Chat for open trips, or go coffee-less for too long, to see some exciting birds. I guess I've taken my little niche along Sligo Creek for granted. Like the person who daily buys a lottery ticket, secretly believing they'd never win, but forks over the dollar every day anyway; I daily walk my path expecting the usuals: Red-bellied, Mockingbirds, Robins, etc...but never "really" believed the "non-backyard birds" were at my fingertips. Well, Cha-Ching, I hit the lottery... On my 6am morning walk with my dog this morning along Sligo Creek, I spotted a Baltimore Oriole, a Common Yellowthroat, a Green Heron. The usuals included about 6 catbirds (my first for the year). I also saw 4 flickers, 2 of which were sending love beats on dead trees back and forth across the path. I also have been watching two screech owls for some time now. So like a good, not-as-reformed-as-I-thought, Catholic girl have to confess that I've been taking my backyard for granted. My eyes are now open for the duration... Best wishes, Kerry Stone Takoma Park, MD kstone@agu.org P.S. This does not mean that I will stop scanning the Chat for trips, peeing in the woods, and driving for hours to observe birds of any kind! ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================