Thanks for your socio-biogeogaphical notes over the years, Wim. Like
many others on Birding-Aus, I have found them informative and
enjoyable to read.
All the best for the future.
Regards, Laurie.
On 19/08/2012, at 10:47 PM, Vader Willem Jan Marinus wrote:
WHY I AM MOSTLY SILENT THESE DAYS
Several people have contacted me these last months, asking if I am
OK, since they did not find my regular 'bird and seasons' pieces on
the bird lists anymore. I just found out that my first mail to
Birdchat was written in 1996, 16 years ago, and the other lists
gradually followed in the years after that. By far the most pieces
have been about birds and seasons in Tromsø, N. Norway, where I
live--some have also been from my native Holland, or from my
travels, either job related, or during birding trips with
professional tour companies.
I am now 75 years old, and during the last few years my ears have
deteriorated quite fast, only partly ameliorated by hearing aids. My
eyes have never been any good (my ophthalmologist told me when I
complained: 'Well, Sir, with eyes such as yours you can't expect
anything better', wonderful bedside manners!). The net result is
that when I go to my old haunts---from where I have reported many
times by now---I see and hear less than I did before, although I
still enjoy my trips enormously. Also, I find that I to a certain
degree 'escape' to plant watching: they don't fly away, and don't
have calls I can't hear anymore. I do still go on birding trips
abroad and make my annotated bird lists afterwards; but nowadays the
leaders of the trips themselves very often put an illustrated report
on the net, while I do not take pictures anymore. So I think
nowadays i have little news to contribute anymore.
All in all I think I should stop repeating myself with the same type
of reports, and rather confine myself to the occasional mail, when I
have something more special to convey, as e.g. in the present mail
about our absent summer. I'll stay a subscriber, though, and people
can always contact me, esp. when they have plans to come to or via
Tromsø on a trip. This summer I had guests from both Australia and
South Africa and it gives me great pleasure to show them around.
With my best greetings from a sunny, but chilly Tromsø.
Wim
Vader, Vesterliv. 23
9037
Tromsø, Norway
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