Hi Harry & All Others Interested in "Newrocentrism",

As a born and raised New Englander far off-the-beaten path from Boston and
New York (born in NH, raised in VT), and the co-editor of a season for New
England in "North American Birds" (a very useful reference on bird
distribution - shameless advertsing) I could not resist weighing-in on this
topic.

The other five New England states and Upstate New York keenly feel the
extreme gravitational and cultural pull on their own cultures from The Hub
and The City. Also, Massachusetts west of say... Concord barely exists in
the Bostonian world view.

A Red-footed Falcon might not get as much play at Dead Creek Wildlife
Management Area in Vermont; Jonesport, Maine; or even Hammonasset State
Beach in Connecticut than it does on the celebrity blessed, well-within
Boston radar Vineyard. On the other hand it's hardly fair to compare obscure
little-known seabirds (one a recent "split" at that) rather briefly in view
from a boat with a handsome raptor well represented in major European guides
frequenting an airport at a major vacation destination behaving like a
camera hungry starlet for two weeks. I think if a sufficiently photogenic
megatick bird attracted hordes of birders to Ocean City the event might just
rouse the attention of the Post and Sun. I will admit the long poke to
Kiptopeke might reduce the media's interest. It helped the Vineyard falcon
that at least one of the editors at the Boston Globe is an avid birder and
that Vern Laux is very media savvy himself. It is also worth noting that the
New York and Boston papers had the 1975 experience of the Newburyport Ross's
Gull to prime them for the most recent "Bird of the Century".

Andy Martin's observation about the attitude towards birding in coastal New
England is also quite true. Birders are considered far less odd there than
here. Much like in olde England, eccentrics are bemusedly tolerated, if not
respected, in flinty individualistic New England. This seems to be less true
in the rest of America where birders are frequently considered bizarre if
not a tad dangerous in spite of our considerable numbers. We need some more
able publicists comparable to Pete Dunne - the premier birding popularizer
of NY and NJ - to raise regional awareness of our benign, popular, and
highly entertaining pastime.

Good Birding,

Walter Ellison

23460 Clarissa Road
Chestertown, MD 21620
phone: 410-778-9568
e-mail: 

"A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast" - E. B.
White (in "Stuart Little")