Late this afternoon I stopped by a flooded field to check on a flock of shorebirds in Henderson County, NC. It was a mixed flock with several Greater Yellowlegs, a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs and a whole bunch of Pectoral Sandpipers. Meanwhile a man and his 7 or 8 year old son were walking along the edge of the field near the river, presumably hunting rabbits as they had a couple of yelping beagles with them. While watching the shorebirds through my scope I heard shooting, so I looked up and there was the kid shooting at the shorebirds. I decided that I ought to do the right thing (maybe the stupid thing) and advise the kid's father that these were not the kind of birds one should be shooting at and, in any event, hunting season was over. It took a while to walk over to the fellow. Meanwhile his son kept firing away. Fortunately for the birds he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. When I neared the fellow I suggested to him that perhaps his child shouldn't be shooting at those birds. He responded "they're doves." Doves????? Long legged doves wading around in water two or three inches deep????? My first thought was: A. He needed to immediately call his eye doctor and make an appointment. B. He needed his blood-alcohol level tested. C. He was a guy who really didn't "know a hawk from a handsaw." Whatever the case, I decided maybe I was pushing my luck with this guy who was someone who probably shouldn't have been wielding a weapon. So I just advised him that, no, they were indeed not doves and it was not legal to be shooting at them and then retreated. But he did call his son back and they resumed walking along the river. Next I went to another field to bird. While walking around in that field a storm suddenly blew up. I raced back to my car thinking about what a fine lightning rod my scope would make and wondering if my rubber boots would save me. Who says birding isn't a risky hobby? Marilyn Marilyn Westphal Environmental Quality Institute University of North Carolina-Asheville One University Heights Asheville, NC 28804 828/251-6823 mjwestphal@unca.edu