Hello all
First off, I declare myself a bander. I've banded many birds, especially
waders. I
am not currently active but continue to pay for the privilege of holding a
Banding
Authority.
I'd like to thank the anonymous Night Parrot for stirring the possum a bit.
It's all
too easy to forget that not everyone sees all of our research and conservation
activities in a favourable light. There's no doubt that a lot of extemely useful
information pertinent to bird conservation comes from banding studies - it's
been
well covered here already ( I was very impressed by the vigorous defence put
forward
by non-bander Frank O'Connor last week). There's also no doubt that some birds
die
as a result of this inherently stressful procedure. It's every bander's duty to
continually ask themselves: why am I doing this? Is it justified in terms of
helping
the species? Can I do anything better than I do it now? Criticisms from
non-banders
should be taken as reminders to maintain standards and integrity, not as
opportunities for vilification. Banding is best defended by demonstrated value
and
best practice.
As for anonymity of the critic, well....if someone wants an open and honest
debate
on anything with me, they had best make themselves known to me. If I'm prepared
to
put my name to my opinion, so should my debater!
On the other hand though...back in mediaeval days, when the King's word was
law, a
wise institution developed whereby a critic, the King's Fool, could put into
words
what could be death to say for anyone else. This was a way of letting the King
get
feedback on his rule without raising suspicion of a plot. The penalty for
saying the
wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong people is not quite so harsh
nowadays,
but perhaps our anonymous Fool has good reason to be secretive!
Richard
wrote:
> I think a few list members have been too quick to dismiss 'Night Parrot's'
> concerns about the
> impacts of bird banding. --
+----------------------------------------+
Richard Johnson
Roma District
Tel: (07) 4622 4266 Fax: (07) 46 22 4151
E-mail:
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