Steve
Journals such as AFO and Emu are full of notes on behaviour, diet etc that
do not get put into the various online databases - the databases are great
for helping with research into distribution etc but really tell us nothing
about the birds.
For example the AFO I have to hand has articles on the Breeding Biology and
Diet of the Little Eagle and the Diet and Roost-site Fidelity of a Common
Koel, which are certainly topics of interest to some birders and scientists
- but not of course everyone. This information is not in any sighting
database! It also has more 'twitching" related articles on Fairy terns and
King Pengiuns - the bald facts of which MAY have been recorded in a database
but certainly not the details in these papers.
Your comments on the Internet are interesting - yes there is almost too much
information on just about any topic you can ask about, but most is of
unknown quality - you have no way of knowing who wrote an Internet article
and what their qualifiactions actually are - as opposed to what they say
they are. Most information is probably good especially for non-contentious
things like birds, but information that goes into published journals is
rigourously checked by known experts.
Your comment on simplicity is of course relevant - AFO is aimed more at the
"amateur" than Emu is I suspect, but ultimately if it is a simple
observation you can post it on Birding Aus - and most people will. If you
want to report in a lot more detail on a subject (and I must confess I never
have) then channels such as the AFO or Emu are the way to ensure that your
work gets the recognition it deserves - lowering the standards for
submission to AFO (and I have no connection with AFO, except that I am a
director of BOCA which publishes it) would rather defeat the object of the
journal.
Dave
2008/5/22 Steve Potter <>:
> As an amateur birder I humbly submit the following.
>
> I am a recent return-er to the fold of the birding community after a long
> period of backsliding due to the pressures of work/family/surfing etc. But
> I
> have birded a lot in Africa.
>
> I am also an avid twitcher (Thanks Sean Dooley)
>
> In regards to publications, I remember as a 15 year old teenager in Malawi
> excitedly handwriting my first and only submission to the British Museum of
> Natural History on the habits of the family of Green Twinspot that I
> observed in my garden while I was suppose to be doing my correspondence
> schooling. Through this process I was greatly encouraged by one of my
> mentors Dave Stead who guided me through this process. Important point!
>
> Since returning to the world of birding information, I am amazed at the
> amount of data that is readily available. Especially the internet. One
> Google search will bring up thousands of pages of information on any bird
> one might care to mention. Whilst I enjoy entering my findings both here
> and
> overseas in the Birdpedia Database, I am unsure if they are of any help to
> anyone else. (stoked you read the Bali ones Lawrie)
>
> Not only that, as the western world has become increasingly hectic as we
> all
> try to make life easier for ourselves (??) I don't have time to attend the
> local Bird club meetings or their outings so I can't see myself spending
> huge amounts of time writing submissions. This email was hard enough...
>
> As I travel regularly, I thought about Atlas-ing and even enquired of it
> once, only to hit the "to hard" button once I delved into it.
>
> Conclusions (actually more questions):
> With the amount of data already available, what could one possibly add that
> would be helpful?
>
> If one wanted to do something like that, how would one go about it? Ie is
> there any one out there who can help others.
>
> If one knew the point of said submissions then one might write one.
>
> What do these submissions do that Birdpedia/Eremaea don't??
>
> If they are important, then make them simple!! Then others, not only
> retiree's and people who have too much time sitting in airports, can write
> them.
>
> Also should submissions need to be categorised. Point in case - Pelagic
> reports. No disrespect to Pete Milburn and Paul Walbridge (both legends)
> but
> as an amateur I always scroll to the "birds seen" part and never read the
> "wind was S/E at 30kts. swell at 2.7 meters from the N/E due to the
> tropical
> cyclone off Vanuatu heading in a W S/W direction at 20kts...." part.
> Obviously some do....
>
> Cheers
>
>
> Steve Potter
> Blackwood, South Australia
>
>
>
>
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