May I suggest that birding-aus enthusiasts avoid convoluting their underwear
over Frank O'Connor's posting. Mike O'Connor is the member of the clan to
get stuck into.
And, for the benefit of Queenslanders, no, that's not Mike O'Connor,
columnist of "The Courier-Mail". This Mike O'Connor is owner of the Bird
Watchers General Store in Orleans, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
He writes a weekly birding column for the Cape Codder Newspaper, which can
be read online at www.birdwatchersgeneralstore.com/articles.htm - or so says
the "New Scientist" for May 7, 2005 at page 21. I haven't tried; it's his
article "Geeks of a feather" from which I am quoting.
New Scientist introduces the article with this provocative statement:
"Sure, there are plenty of weirdo obsessives in the birdwatching world.
Luckily they're outnumbered by the true heroes of ornithology."
And who are the real heroes? In Mike O'Connor's opinion:
"The point of all this is that these crazy listers and twitchers are not
the ones who really matter. Their contribution to birding knowledge and the
birding economy pales in comparison to the real heroes of birding: the
backyard birders and the people with bird gardens. Twitchers are certainly
knowledgeable, but they have three basic problems. First, there aren't many
of them (thank goodness). Second, when it comes to adding to the economy,
forget it, they are cheaper than dirt. Third they suffer from tunnel
vision: they are so focussed on the peculiar birds that they often miss
everything else."
Now before the knickers get too knotted, I hasten to add that O'Connor is
writing about the UK and the US:
"Whether they are American listers or British twitchers, they are a
scary group of extremists. They drive all night, sleep in the car, pee on
the side of the road and, of all things, eat in fast-food places without
kids, all to see a single bird."
US and UK. It wouldn't apply in Australia ... would it?
He also informs us that -
"Birdwatching is the second most popular hobby in the US. By far the
most important component of this, both economically and in terms of
providing information, comes from the backyard birders. Their high-profile
cousins, the listers, are entertaining, but they don't count for much more
than that."
And in case you were curious, O'Connor adds:
"By the way, do you know what the number one hobby in the US is? It's
gardening. If sex crossed your mind you would be wrong, but I like the way
you think."
Cheers
Syd
--------------------------------------------
Birding-Aus is now on the Web at
www.birding-aus.org
--------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message 'unsubscribe
birding-aus' (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
