Adventure with a different feel...

Apparently the Preening ID Quiz was too difficult (sorry!). Over 700 people looked at the blog entry, but nobody was brave enough to post a comment with their guesses. There were a few emailed answers, but even the best score was 3 out of 7 correct. So, here we go:

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I've been reading E.O. Wilson's "The Creation - An Appeal to Save Life on Earth" the past few days and enjoying it more than I thought I would. Included is a chapter on "How to Raise a Naturalist" that contains some pretty thoughtful ideas for getting kids interested in nature. I particularly enjoyed the following remark Wilson makes about birders and birding:

"Adventure with a different feel to it awaits the child who joins a group of birders. As an adult I thrill, even myopic entomologist that I am, at the sight of eagles, cranes and ibises. Recently, I sat in a skiff on the Mississippi's Pascagoula River, transfixed by a dozen swallow-tailed kites that wheeled overhead and swooped to take sips of water from the river.

It's among birders, all of them naturalists and adventurers, that the child can find role models. There are a few eccentric loners in their ranks, but also physicians, ministers, plumbers, business executives, military officers, engineers, and in fact, members of virtually every trade and profession. They are united in a common focus. At least while in the field, they are the most congenial and enthusiastic people I have ever known."

What an amazing endorsement! It's interesting...I also know excellent birders who are teachers, military officers, truck drivers, paper mill workers, students, pastors, etc. I can even think of a few who fit the "loner" category Wilson cites, but I won't mention any names.