I know that knowing the trees really helps when you are at, say, Rock Creek
ridge and there are lots of warblers flitting in the trees. Someone calls
out "I have a Golden-wing in the chestnut oak!!" and the tree-clueless
immediately panic! The it is a matter of "it's that big green tree -- no,
not the one with the little leaves, the one with the big jagged ones -- no
not THAT one either!" and then .."Never mind, it flew off..." I really thank
my grade-school teachers for having us make leaf scrapbooks every year for
Nature Study!)

(Of course if they are ALL chestnut oaks, it becomes a problem...)

Gail Mackiernan
Colesville, MD

on 10/07/2009 1:00 AM, Phil Davis at  wrote:

> Rick, et al.
> 
> I really chuckled when someone asked a birding leader what a certain
> tree was. The leader replied, "I know five trees ... and that's not
> one of them!"
> 
> (I could relate!)
> 
> Phil
> 
>