While I am not much of a lister myself. The suggestions below may help = take your mind off a long wait in line to vote Tuesday.
The Answer to Long Lines At the Polls - BIRDING! =20 -- Special feature by Audubon Ohio's Jerry Tinianow Like millions of other Americans who will stream to the polls tomorrow, = Audubon members will likely face unprecedented long lines and waits. = Unlike most Americans, however, our birding skills will give us an edge = in tolerating these long lines. At many polling stations, lines may stretch out the door, forcing people = to wait outside in what could be damp, cold weather. For many, this = will be a major annoyance. For us, however, this will present an = opportunity to observe the local bird life, and maybe even pick up a = species or two, at least for an annual or local list. We can even = create a new "Election Day" list, and work on it as the line slowly = moves towards the door. We're used to standing around in the cold and = wet! Birders who find themselves under a roof, but in a long line, can still = make time pass quickly by putting their birding skills to use. Simply = put, we birders like to count things. We are quite clever at creating = new kinds of lists after we have exhausted the possibilities of the old = ones (this explains, for example, my "2004 local park on holiday = weekends before noon" list). Of course, there aren't any birds indoors - at least, not most places. = But we can still use our creativity to find new things to count while = waiting in line. Think of the people in line, the people working at the = polls and the numerous voter challengers and lawyers at the polls as = birds with unusual plumage. Create a classification system for these = species, e.g., those with overcoats, those without, those dressed for = work, those dressed for play, people wearing only primary colors, people = wearing plaids, etc. Create whatever system you like, then start your = new "Election Day Indoor Life List." The minutes (hours?) will just fly = by! Mark Martell Director of Bird Conservation Audubon Minnesota 2357 Ventura Drive #106 St. Paul, MN 55125 651-739-9332 651-731-1330 (FAX)
