(Shocked expression followed by ecstatic jumping up and down. Hugs other
biggest loser contestants, followed by the welling up of tears)Thank you
one and all for this most highest of honors. (tears) I hardly know what
to say...sniff
(wipes tears from eyes) sniff...I didn't believe that I had any hope of
winning such a great and noble achievement. I was sure that there were
others out there that had only seen just a bird or two during this past
Wulf-monath. Surely there is one out there. However, I will accept
this award on behalf of those who were too afraid to speak up and
acknowledge that they were unable to go out and enjoy the avian bonanza
that is all around us.
And I will use this platform to go and speak out against homelessness
and hunger and disease, to achieve world peace, and to get the kids back
outside instead of in front of the TV/computer.
ahem (clears throat, drinks a sip of water).
My fellow Birders,
During this tumultuous era of war and social upheaval, we are forgetting
those out there that are the littlest among us, the unseen in some
cases. They hide in the shadows, but they are there looking at us and
watching us. Watching us go on with our busy lives barely caring that
they are even there. We neglect them, ignore them. We feed them and
their children food that is not fit for humans to eat. We offer up
places to clean up and rest but then let them fall into a state of
disrepair so that it is not fit for even vagrants from another country
to come and seek shelter for the night, or even take a bath. We MUST
turn the tide we MUST stop this injustice.
Therefore my fellow Birders, I encourage YOU with all the power that
this award gives me, to do what I..and my family have done. To take
steps to right the wrongs that WE have committed to those least among us.
My fellow Birders, there are so many hungry birds out there, so many
that I can not feed them myself. So I am asking each each and every one
of you to feed the birds. It's one of the easiest things that you can
do to help end this scourge of hunger. Go buy a feeder and feed (pref.
black oil sunflower), put feeder up and put feed in feeder. The birds
will thank you, and will surely sing to you a chorus of happy melodies.
Then, when you are able, take the next step, go and buy a bird bath and
put it out so that the birds can have a decent place to bathe. However,
in order to keep diseases at bay, you MUST KEEP IT CLEAN...Take time to
change the water daily..or atleast biweekly. Help it stay clean by
sanitizing it once a month...use bleach.
Then my fellow Birders, take the next step when you are able. Go online
or the library and get plans for a birdhouse and then take time to
lovingly build and display at least one in an open air public
environment. The birds NEED YOU!
And finally a subject that is near and dear to my heart, a subject that
I must admit that I don't do enough of. I speak of our children. As
many of you know, our children have attached themselves to the
television through hand held devices meant to simulate a real world
environment. But I say TURN THAT Wii OFF! TAKE THE PLAYSTATION..THE
X-BOX..THE COMPUTER GAMES..AND..THROW..THEM...AWAY!!! ....Give your kids
a pair of binoculars and take them birding, to observe those that are in
the shadows watching us so that they might gain a better understanding
of the world and those around us.
Do these things and that world peace thang should pretty much take care
of itself.
Thank you, and may God bless you, and may God..BLESS...AMERICA!!!
I now yield the remaining balance of my time to the birders of Ohio.
Sincerely,
The Biggest Looser 2010
Steve Jones
Kathi Hutton wrote:
> Reading about the adventures of fellow Ohio birders in pursuit of their Century List (100 birds in January) used to leave me jealous of their trip lists and the time they had to devote to birding. Then, I came up with the idea of a competition the rest of us could join; one open to those of us with full-time commitments and limited access to the many birding "hot spots" of our state.
>
> The winner of my semi-regular and unofficial contest to see who has the shortest January list, a contest with the joking name of "Biggest Loser," would then have a chance at state-wide infamy, and would also have a goal to beat for next year.
>
> Thanks to all who participated, on and off list, and also to: Al LaSala, who urged us to be bird watchers instead of bird spotters, to Andy Sewell, who advised me and my fellow losers that joining a Christmas Bird Count next Jan. would jump start our 2011 numbers, and to Shari Jackson, who reminded us that ALL birders are winners, no matter how long your trip list.
>
> And now, the moment you have been waiting for - the Biggest Loser for 2010 ....
>
> I almost gave the title to first time poster Kim Batzer, with a mere 26 species, until I heard from Steve Jones, whose busy work schedule has kept him out of the field all month and left him with only 15 birds for Jan. Congratulations, Steve! You are our Biggest Loser this year!!
>
> All in fun, fellow birders, all in fun!
>
> Keep looking up, and I'll see you in the fields,
>
> ~Kathi
>
> Visit me at:
> http://katdocsworld.blogspot.com/
>
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______________________________________________________________________
Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
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