Saying "They are all good" IS sanctimonious, because the question was pretty clear. If someone asks you that question, they are clearly serious/avid birders or they would not even know the term. So starting from that assumption, I would indeed share my "personal best" birds from the area, but maybe in a small cluster, like "There's a Greater Scaup under the bridge, a Pileated Woodpecker up on that pole and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in that barn". If things really are slow, a simple "Things are pretty quiet right now" would seem to do.=20 Warren
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Pastor Al Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 2:29 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [mou] Good Bird Questions What's the first question that an incoming birder asks you as you're leaving?: "Any good birds?" How does one answer that question? "They're all good" sounds sanctimonious. Sharing your best bird from the location leaves you open to subtle scorn or a game of one-uppance (you can see it in their eyes, "is that all"?). Replying with a question may only delay the inevitable. So, this leads me to two highly philosophical questions on this rainy afternoon (while stapling membership applications together): * In your opinion, what constitutes a good bird? * How do you answer the question? Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties [email protected] (55 Bonapartes on a sewage pond were my best birds over lunch hour - but are they "good" birds?) _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list [email protected] http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net
