OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THE LEWISâS WOODPECKER HOSTS: An optics upgrade
Many of you made a donation on site or brought a gift already and others
will simply feel this is not necessary. However several people I talked to
felt this was a good idea. I donât wish to set a precedent that people
should expect anything for hosting birders, but I really feel this was an
extraordinary combination of factors worthy of notice. And hereâs why:
(scroll to the bottom if youâre already sold)
1. OUTSTANDING HOSPITALITY Amanda not only allowed us access to park and
roam all around the house and out buildings, but she also supplied homemade
hot food! Chili on Tuesday and soup with rolls the next couple of days.
If she hadnât severely injured her hand on Friday, I suspect there would
have been something out on the weekend as well. She was excited to see how
far people had traveled for the bird and happy for her children to have
this experience. Isaiah compared it to âThe Big Yearâ movie!
2. YOUNG BIRDERS Isaiah, who discovered the bird, is in 7th grade, and
Zaila, who identified and reported the bird, is in 10th grade. Itâs
important that we have young birders coming up the ranks. Who will do
research and carry out conservation efforts in the future if todayâs
generation spends all of their time on screens and none in the field?
Zaila has been birding since 5th grade and has amassed a pretty good life
list in a limited area. Itâs a shame their home isnât in a BBA block,
because it seemed she knew the location of every bird nest on the property!
3. WI BIRD OF THE YEAR?? Sure we had the common eider in January, but it
truly was something of an ugly duckling. For rarity, beauty, and being
cooperative, it would be hard to beat this bird!
Considering all this, I felt Iâd like to thank them (and encourage the
kids) in a significant way, and I wondered if we could âcrowd sourceâ an
upgrade on optics for the kids. I spoke to Ben Lizdas, sales manager at
Eagle Optics, and he would be happy to collect donations towards a gift
certificate, advise the family on products, and offer a discount price on
their purchase. If youâre inclined to join in, please contact Ben at the
store M-F 8am-4pm (608-662-1062) with your credit card information. If
that doesnât work for you, send an email ( blizdas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) with
your number and a convenient time, and Ben will call you. Please make
donations by Dec.14.
Thanks to all who choose to participate. And for those who haven't seen
the bird, please remember that, after a full week of "open house", birders
are no longer invited onto the property so the family can get back to
normal. Thanks for respecting their wishes.
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