On April 10, Stephen Horvath wrote "I have finally gotten a couple of the kids at my Pathfinder club deeply interested in birds. Some of their parents were wondering where they could find some good beginner birder resources. ... Any input would be very helpful. I would love to have one of these kids join our ranks someday."

I started birding at a young age (12). One resource I found invaluable back then was mentoring. To this day, I remember going out during the winter of 1970 on a "young birder" trip organized by ANS and led (I'm pretty certain) by Dennis Coskren - whose name I've often seen on this list serve. (Dennis, if it was you, give me a holler.) We went to the Eastern Shore and Cape Henlopen. That day, I saw 13 life birds, learned a lot about bird identification, and most importantly, experienced the enthusiasm of more experienced birders. Oh, and also - Dennis had a scope. It's hard being a young birder without a scope having to look at distant sea ducks through a nasty pair of 7x35 Tascos...

That trip and others to come got me hooked solid. Other mentors from whom I learned included Jackson Abbott, Paul DuMont, Rick Blom, and the incomparable Claudia Wilds - all gone, but vividly alive in my memory. All the gadgets in the world are no substitute for the guidance of a good mentor. It would be nice to organize a mentoring group on the list serve - Ospreyers willing to lead youth groups on forays. I would certainly be willing to do so time permitting.

Tom Stock
Silver Spring, Md.