Birding, after all, is just a game. Going beyond that is what is important.

Birds, it must be admitted, are the most exciting and most deserving of the vertebrates; they are perhaps the best entre into the study of natural history, and a very good wedge into conservation awareness.

Butterflies are very interesting. Here these things are little grubs for a while. And then they go into a little coffin. There they are in a sarcophagus, and then they come out and dance with the angels.

We don't have to go to wild places to find wildlife. A surprisingly wide range of species can be found in our sities and towns, from familiar animals like the raccoon to more exotic ones like the mountain lion.

Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we'll soon be in trouble.

I can recognize the calls of practically every bird in North America. There are some in Africa I don't know, though

Not all is doom and gloom. We are beginning to understand the natural world and are gaining a reverence for life - all life.