[tn-bird] misquotes by reporters
- From: jreese5@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2002 10:18:43 -0600
Some of you may wish to see how I handled being misquoted in newpaper
article. Since I write a weekly gardening/nature column for the Jackson=
Sun, I had the opportunity to save face...this was the column I ran the=
next week... back in early 2001, I think....
This One is for the Birds!
I had a good laugh last week when the secretary told me about a call sh=
e
had taken from a lady who was miffed that I didn't know my birds. "The=
re
is no such thing as a blue martin, and it's tufted titmouse, not pitmou=
se!"
To make it even funnier, the secretary accidently said blue marlin, whi=
ch
is of course a large saltwater game fish. I've been making jokes with =
her
all week about what kind of bait you'd have to use to attract blue marl=
in
to your bird feeders.
Of course the lady didn't take into account that sometimes things come =
out
wrong in print, and understandably so. The reporter that quoted me in =
her
bird article, had been trying desperately to write down everything I wa=
s
rattling off to her over the telephone. Somewhere along the line the wo=
rd
blue was substituted for purple, and the "t" in titmouse, came out soun=
ding
like a "p". Now my reputation as a birder is ruined, I suppose.
We who love to learn birds are rather prideful of our knowledge, and ou=
r
ability to tell what's what. Truth be known, there is a bit of competi=
tion
involved. Several years ago, at the family farm in Mississippi, we had=
the
great fortune to have a painted bunting spend the summer with us. This =
bird
is one of the most brilliantly colored birds seen in North America, but=
usually is only found further south.The male is bright red, with a
brilliant blue head, green wings, and a chartreuse back. The first pers=
on
in the family to see him was my sister Terry. She called my mother to
report what she thought to be an escaped caged bird in her lawn, feedin=
g on
dandelion seeds along with a flock of indigo buntings. (Here is one of =
the
benefits of not fretting over weeds in your turfgrass!) My brother Mike=
and
I happened to be visiting our parents at the same time, and we are both=
avid birders. Our first reaction was to simultaneously shout the name =
of
the bird, and then to bitterly complain that Terry had no right to see =
a
painted bunting. She cared little for birding and as far as we know, h=
as
never spent one red cent on bird seed. Shortly thereafter, the bird be=
gan
to appear at one of my feeders, but my brother was always disappointed =
when
he came by hoping for a sighting.
I made things more cruel by setting up this little scenario. I'd go to
town, go into the co-op or the hardware store my brother frequented, an=
d I
would ask the people who knew him to say something like this when he ca=
me
in: "Hey Mike! You know your birds pretty well, don't you? 'Cause we'=
ve
been seeing this wild colored bird around here that is blue and red and=
green and...."
Mike was getting more and more upset, but finally figured out I was set=
ting
him up. Other people did come to see the painted bunting, but that was =
a
bit awkward, too.You see, the bird only came to this one feeder that wa=
s
designed to be viewed from my commode. In my defense, it only made goo=
d
sense to have this feeding station where it was, for several reasons. I=
lived far off the road in an extremely private setting, there was a win=
dow
directly in front of the john, and I figured there was going to be a
certain amount of time that I would spend there, so why not? I kept a =
pair
of binoculars hung handily on a wall hook, a bird book close by, and I
observed a lot of birds from this perch.
When painted bunting hopefuls would come out to see me, I would graciou=
sly
usher them into the small room, provide stools for extra seating if nee=
ded,
and leave them to their own devices. Many of them reported success (in
spotting the bunting, of course!)
Feeders aren't the only way to entice exciting birds. Many colorful
species such as orioles, tanagers, or yellow breasted chats prefer frui=
t.
Plant some of the tasty native trees, such as serviceberry or mulberry.=
However, remember not to plant these right over your outdoor living are=
as,
because where birds eat fruit....well, birds have calls of nature, too!=
Carol Reese
Ornamental Horticulture Specialist -Western District
University of Tennessee Extension Service
605 Airways Blvd.
Jackson TN 38301
901 425 4721 email jcreese@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=
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