John Baird, your reflections on nature and birds was very enjoyable — and thought-provoking. Can you imagine a modern-day group of school children having an interest in studying birds? Perhaps there is a such a group … somewhere. I hope so. Thank you!
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David F. and John B.,
It’s never too late, perhaps. My former employer (I’m retired) gave me a coupon for a $39 online course offered by the local bird sanctuary. As a kid, I yawned through my mother’s attempts to interest me in common neighborhood birds, and rolled my eyes as two neighbors (a garden club-type lady and a retired gentleman like Mr. Wilson in “Dennis the Menace”) had a suburban arms race going with birdbaths and feeders to see who could attract the most birds to their yard. Now, at 62, I’m starting to get interested and I’m going to take the introductory course.
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Douglas E. and John B., Love of all things ornithological must come with maturity (notice that I did not say “age”)! My wife and I also have developed a growing interest in the birds around us. May I suggest a smartphone app — Merlin Bird ID app from The Cornell Lab. It’s free and it is useful to have the app listen (through your smartphone mic) to bird calls and then ID the bird that made the call. I’m sure that there are probably other similar apps, but we have found it be accurate enough and sensitive enough to identify any of the birds that we have encountered. Happy birding!
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BGT – I never pass up a chance to second appreciation of SiriusXM’s 40’s Junction or other old-time radio and American Songbook classics. Another amazing source is the weirdly named Radiooooo website (yep, all them “o”s) which lets you choose not only a musical time period but narrows it down by country. Can’t get enough of what was in the zeitgeist long before I was born.
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Really enjoyed your post David. I haven’t paid for a haircut in 27 years (my wife is a stylist) but I have ALWAYS wanted to experience a good ‘ol barber. More on that, plus cocktail talk, coming in my reply letter to you soon!
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Eric, looking forward to it!!
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I alway wondered what having “an albatross around one’s neck” meant, so I looked it up. ‘Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s most quoted (and misquoted) poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” tells the story of a sailor who shoots a friendly albatross, cursing himself and his crew. As punishment, he is forced to wear the bird around its neck, making the albatross a symbol of his burden and regret.’
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Catalina: “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.”
John Baird, your reflections on nature and birds was very enjoyable — and thought-provoking. Can you imagine a modern-day group of school children having an interest in studying birds? Perhaps there is a such a group … somewhere. I hope so. Thank you!
David F. and John B.,
It’s never too late, perhaps. My former employer (I’m retired) gave me a coupon for a $39 online course offered by the local bird sanctuary. As a kid, I yawned through my mother’s attempts to interest me in common neighborhood birds, and rolled my eyes as two neighbors (a garden club-type lady and a retired gentleman like Mr. Wilson in “Dennis the Menace”) had a suburban arms race going with birdbaths and feeders to see who could attract the most birds to their yard. Now, at 62, I’m starting to get interested and I’m going to take the introductory course.
Douglas E. and John B., Love of all things ornithological must come with maturity (notice that I did not say “age”)! My wife and I also have developed a growing interest in the birds around us. May I suggest a smartphone app — Merlin Bird ID app from The Cornell Lab. It’s free and it is useful to have the app listen (through your smartphone mic) to bird calls and then ID the bird that made the call. I’m sure that there are probably other similar apps, but we have found it be accurate enough and sensitive enough to identify any of the birds that we have encountered. Happy birding!
BGT – I never pass up a chance to second appreciation of SiriusXM’s 40’s Junction or other old-time radio and American Songbook classics. Another amazing source is the weirdly named Radiooooo website (yep, all them “o”s) which lets you choose not only a musical time period but narrows it down by country. Can’t get enough of what was in the zeitgeist long before I was born.
Really enjoyed your post David. I haven’t paid for a haircut in 27 years (my wife is a stylist) but I have ALWAYS wanted to experience a good ‘ol barber. More on that, plus cocktail talk, coming in my reply letter to you soon!
Eric, looking forward to it!!
I alway wondered what having “an albatross around one’s neck” meant, so I looked it up. ‘Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s most quoted (and misquoted) poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” tells the story of a sailor who shoots a friendly albatross, cursing himself and his crew. As punishment, he is forced to wear the bird around its neck, making the albatross a symbol of his burden and regret.’
Catalina: “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.”