Vultures are homely, but they clean up all the garbage and that's good. And they're elegant in the sky.

Birds ... are sensitive indicators of the environment, a sort of "ecological litmus paper," ... The observation and recording of bird populations over time lead inevitably to environmental awareness and can signal impending changes.

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

I consider myself to have been the bridge between the shotgun and the binoculars in bird watching. Before I came along, the primary way to observe birds was to shoot them and stuff them.

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, perhaps, the most eloquent expression of reality.

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