birding-aus

ABC Radio - congrats to Judii Peet

To: "Timothy Hyde" <>, "birding Aus" <>
Subject: ABC Radio - congrats to Judii Peet
From: "Judie Peet" <>
Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 11:11:45 +1100
Hi Tim, Denise & All,
 
Thanks for the kind words Tim, and thanks Denise for feeling deprived.
 
These series are not at all scientific, and not all that educational in the way we tend to think of "educational" either.
 
The philosophy behind the series (mine) is that there are not enough birders in this country, probably never will be, to have much political clout, or to be able to have very much effect on what happens to native birds ~ with the exception of local or temporarily funded projects that focus on a spot of habitat or an already endangered species. Meanwhile, in the rest of the country the rest of the birds struggle on, becoming less in number and reduced in range ... and who knows? And who cares?
 
So I aim to make birds interesting and fun to the wider community, helping people generally to understand that birds ARE wonderful critters, and that the everyday decisions made by ordinary Australians can have an effect for better, or for worse on the chances of many bird species being around for their grandkids to enjoy hearing and seeing. Where possible I bring in the ecological services carried out for free by birds, but it's never a hard sell, never judgemental or rabidly Green.
 
I get some fantastic feedback, indicating that people are genuinely interested in learning more about birds, and that, given the opportunity, people will do what they can to help prevent local extinctions by such things as better pet management and to "bring back the birds" by choosing garden design and plants with bird welfare in mind.
 
I am grateful to the ABC for making this possible by keeping the series going for the Western Region of NSW, and by expanding the broadcast area from regional to state-wide this summer.
 
I'm grateful too to the "hard core birders" who've taken time to let me know that they too enjoyed the series. I'm conscious that much of it is just "fun" stuff, designed to have general appeal ~ and I sometimes cringe inside, wondering what listeners with real knowledge about birds will think of it.
 
Judie Peet
(The only thing certain about birdwatching is that nothing's certain)
 
 
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