Been becoming something of a bird watcher of late. Kind of a strange thing to get into maybe. I'm not sure I want to be known as a birder. But I can't help myself. It started last year when my Aunt came over from England, with my cousin. I was amazed about how interested in the birds they were. She bought a bird identity book while she was here and left it with me.

It might not have gone very far, except for the book on crows that I read at the Sierra Club. Crows and their ilk, ravens and jays and magpies, and such are really smart. Well that peaked my interest.

Then I gradually began noticing the birds in my backyard. Beginning with the hummingbird and its bizarre little sound. Then there was the mockingbird. And then over the past few months there's beena couple sharp shinned hawks, a raven -- hanging out with some outraged pigeons down the street, something I'd never seen in SF before, and then a swallow at a conference in the Presidio. Swallows have these cool mud nests that I'd never seen before, and this little gal was having trouble finding its way back with so many people hanging out about outside.

Hummingbirds were there as well. Hummingbirds are fricking amazing. They can move so unbelievably fast. Zipping between flowers, hovering and then boom they are gone again, it's everything you can do just to track them.

So I'm hooked. Birds are damn cool creatures...