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Re: new birder resources

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Joanne Howl

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Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:17:12 -0400

Regarding mentoring:? if anyone is interested who might not already know this, the Boy Scouts have a Bird Study Merit Badge.? Your local Troops/Council is ALWAYS looking for merit badge counselors.? It's no cost, just some paper to fill out then time to mentor boys as they ask for you.... the legendary "one hour a week".? <grin>

If signing up for merit badge counseling is not for you, if you contact a local Troop or Council, you can offer a lecture, a trip or a little here and there - and make a difference to a boy! 

The Baltimore Area Council website is www.baltimorebsa.org.? The Council south of there, which encompasses PG County and at least part of Calvert is the National Capitol Area Council.? Or - email me and I'll hook you up as I can! 

More information on the Bird Study Badge and the specific requirements can be found at www.meritbadge.com

The Merit Badge book is a wonderful resource for any beginning birder, not just Scouts.? 

Joanne

Joanne Howl, DVM
West River, MD





-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Stock <>
To: 
Sent: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 2:30 pm
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] new birder resources



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.