Dear All
I'm stimulated to write about some favorite birding moments by the
recent threads discussing nationality and relative importance of
birdwatchers. I guess anyone who enjoys watching birds enjoys
watching birds. Many of us also enjoy a drink and a game of football.
My favorite moment (or the current favorite moment) happened a few
years ago in Western Samoa. As I enjoy writing as much as
birdwatching I was making a pilgrimmage to the grave
of Robert Louis Stevenson and gazing occasionally at the birds in
the trees which shade the track up the mountain. It was a
short, hot walk up and I sat at the foot of the grave to rest,
cooling in the srong breeze which flowed up from the sea. Luckily I
was the only person there and I could relax completly. A few moments
after arriving I noticed three white tailed tropic birds hanging in
the breeze, moving up and down like notes on a score sheet, their
long tails stretched out behind them. The birds played (if thats the
appropriate word) in the breeze for several minutes before gliding
away.
I know the birds are not rarities, but they are beautiful and seeing
them in that setting completed a perfect moment birdwatching.
Cheers
Stephen Martin
State Library of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia
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