Re: Our Northwestern North America Trip--long

Gregory B Miller (gregorym@erols.com)
Fri, 31 Jul 1998 07:48:57 -0400 

Norm & Fran:

	Hey!  A huge, hearty congratulations on a great milestone, 400!!! 
Hand-clapping, applause, and jubilation are in order for certain!!!  And
you got some great birds, too!  Some of them I hope to pick up next week
in Washington and British Columbia.  It definitely sounds as if your
planning went well.  I find it very satisfying to plan as well as to
fulfill it.

	And, yes, 400 *IS* elusive.  I admit that last year, I set out to break
400 in a year for only the second time in my life.  

	It was a seemingly innocuous goal.  I reached the 400 mark by early
July <throat clearing here--ahem--finger-pointing implied>.  So I said
to myself, "When will I have this opportunity again?" <ha-ha-ha>.  So I
did some planning and some traveling and broke the even more elusive
500-mark.  This I did on a *almost* normal work year with just 4 wks of
vacation.  Ok.  Not everybody has 4 wks off, but this wasn't every year
either.  I was elated.  It had seemed like an impossible dream.  And I
visited some absolutely wonderful places.
	
	What I did not realize, however, was that I had the BUG.  You know. 
That little voice inside that says, "I wonder just how many birds I
could see in a year".  And it doesn't go away.  I started this year
working six 70-hr weeks in a row.  I only had 5 days of birding until
mid-February.  I was going through birding withdrawals <grin>.  

	It was at the end of January that I picked up a little gift I had been
given by my non-birding brother for Christmas--Kingbird Highway by Kenn
Kaufman.  I devoured the book in two days.  I decided to be reasonable. 
600 would be a mark I could make.  I'm already going to Attu.  Let's
see.  537 last year.  Add 50 more for Attu/Gambell/Alaska.  That makes
587.  Just 13 away from 600.  That's it.  I'll go for 600.  That way I
can bird, have fun, and even miss a few of my targets and not be
worried.  Besides, I decided I deserved a birding break from the work
schedule.  I checked the internet.  Airfare wars!  Whoa!  And so began
this year's adventure.  By mid-June, I'd hit 600, my original target. 
When will I ever do this again?  700 was the new mark...

	So, my friends Norm & Fran.  The year is only a little over 1/2 over. 
Hmmmm.  Is 500 dancing in front of you?  Tee-hee-hee.  Just being a
little devil.  I know it is.  If you have a chance, I'd encourage you. 
The listing is fun, but the adventures that go with it are memories you
will have for a lifetime!  Besides, when will you ever do this again?
<repetitively redundant deja-vu all over again!>

	Well, I gotta run.  It's off to North Carolina for a couple of pelagics
out of Hatteras on Saturday and Sunday.  What fun!  Wish all of you
Ospreyers could join me!  I'll be back Monday night.  Back to work for a
couple days and then off to Seattle.  Wheeee!

	Oh.  Norm & Fran, were you wondering what birds you had that I still
need?  Black-footed Albatross, Black Swift, Vaux's Swift, Pacific-slope
Flycatcher, Cassin's Vireo, and Crested Myna.

-Greg Miller
Lusby, MD