Loving Mary Ann Love

Dear Bay Weekly:

Great interview with Del. Mary Ann Love [Vol. xvi, No. 2: Jan. 10]. Too bad her leadership philosophy isn’t contagious at the national level.

–Bill Wohlfeld, Annapolis

Finding the Key Ingredients

Dear Bay Weekly:

I complimented publicist Robyn Truslow on Key Ingredients, the food exhibit at the Calvert Library, and also for achieving the food article in the Bay Weekly [Our Culture of Cuisine: How the Smithsonian Institute and the Calvert Library found the Key Ingredients to America’s melting pot: Vol. xvi, No 2: Jan. 10]. This is apparently a big event for the library, so thank yous to your writer, Diana Beechener, and to you for giving it the space.

–Elisavietta Ritchie, Broomes Island

Inspired to Fitness

Dear Bay Weekly:

I sold my stationary bike last May at a yard sale, and my rowing machine sits idle and untouched except where my dog has nibbled the foam seat. To be honest, this New Year I hadn’t even thought about making resolutions. Then I read “Resolve to Find Fitness that Fits [Vol. xvi, No 1: January 3]. In it, the piece “Finding Balance” by Dotty Holcomb Doherty, diagnosed with MS, explains how out of need she found the sports that work for her. Anyone reading her article will find all the inspiration they need to get started with an exercise program. I know I did.

–M.L. Faunce, Churchton

Massive Winter Bird Count Coming

Dear Bay Weekly:

Bird watchers across North America are poised to take a real-time snapshot of where the birds are during the 11th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 15-18. This year’s event calls on birders to Count for Fun, Count for the Future.

You can count birds wherever you are and enter your tallies online at www.birdcount.org. These reports contribute valuable information for science and conservation, spotlighting changes in bird population and distribution from year to year. The count is led by Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Overall, bird watchers submitted a record-breaking 80,000 checklists during the four-day event in 2007, reporting 11 million birds and 613 species. Count results over the years show how species such as Eurasian collared-dove and red-bellied woodpecker are spreading into new areas. They also show declines in some species, such as the American crow and northern pintails.

Taking part in the count is easy. You don’t have to know a lot about birds, and you can find helpful identification tips on the web site at www.birdcount.org. Watch birds for as little as 15 minutes on one or more days of the event, counting in your yard, city parks, nature centers or wherever you like. You enter the highest number of each species seen at one time on the count web site. There you can also explore maps and charts showing what others are reporting in their area or across the continent. Visitors to the web site can also see winning photos from the 2007 photo contest and get inspired to send in their own digital images during the 2008 coount. Every photo submitted is considered for the contest.

In addition to digital photos, you can also shoot video of birds and bird watchers during the 2008 count. Upload your video to YouTube and tag it Great Backyard Bird Count. Some of the best clips will be posted on the count web site.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a free event, sponsored in part by Wild Birds Unlimited, and no reservation is required. Everyone who participates will be entered in a drawing to win bird-related prizes.

–Patricia Leonard: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York

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