Henry Armistead bemoans the current "Newrocentrism" that bestows more
attention on bird sightings and nature writers from New York or New England.
May I recommend he take the long view: their glory days will pass (you know
the Latin).

In the early 1800s, the unquestioned center of American ornithological study
was Philadelphia. Alexander Wilson, Charles Lucien Bonaparte, Charles
Bartram and Spencer Baird all lived and worked in the area. Even Audubon, as
a young man, spent several years honing his skills nearby. The Academy of
Natural Sciences in Philadelphia was the dominant museum of natural history.

So in the course of economic, demographic and climate changes, perhaps the
day will come when attention once again turns south. Mid-Atlantic birders
will find themselves fighting off the paparazzi, and early editions of the
"Yellow Book" will be auctioned at Sotheby's. Leave a note for your
great-grandchildren that you heard it here first!

Janet Millenson
Potomac, MD (Montgomery County)

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"Look at the birds!" -- Pascal the parrot