Alistair is spot on. The business of we birders informing egg collectors
about nests is somewhat ridiculous. I started my birding in the late
1950s in country Queensland after I left school and the only birding
people close to me in those days and within a few hours driving distance
were two egg collectors and a non-collector. I saw first hand how those
fellows operated. The collectors had the ability to find a nest before
they even saw the bird. The non-collector only found a nest when he fell
over one even though he was a very good birder. The collectors had a
sixth sense and were expert in sniffing that sort of thing out long
before the average birder comes across something that the collectors
might be interested in. In a year like this, they (if egg collectors
still exist) would have been following the seasons out there and would
have been out looking and searching at first opportunity. It always
amazed me how they knew the best day of the year for a certain species
(for fresh eggs), where the nest would be built, the right breeding
habitat and so on. They could look at a bird and tell you whether it had
been brooding or not. Like photographers, they are very much specialists
in their own odd way. To think that we will be informing the collectors
is airy-fairy stuff. It is akin to the GP informing the neurosurgeon how
to operate.
Another thing is that egg collecting is probably as dead as a doornail
in Australia in this present day. All of those guys whom I got to know
50 years ago have long since gone - except one. I saw him about 6 years
ago - now well into his 80s and his big complaint was that "there were
no young fellows coming on"! He had been part of a ring of a dozen or so
collectors scattered throughout Australia back in the 1950s and 60s.
Incidentally, most of those collections are now in the National Wildlife
Collection in Canberra or in state museums.
I get out into the bush much more than most people and for the last 30
years or more I have not seen one instance where a nest has obviously
been raided by an egg collector - nor have I seen someone acting
suspiciously in that way. However, I have seen quite a few instances
where nests, bowers and so on have been disturbed and deserted by a few
uncaring photographers and the like. Having said that I have great
respect for all responsible photographers. I do alot of photography
myself. As responsibly as I am able! I should also add that I don't
reveal nest sites to anyone.
The business of poachers taking young birds of prey and the like for
falconry etc may be a different story but only once have I been aware of
an incident such as this and that was about 20 years ago. I would be
more worried about that.
Lloyd Nielsen
Mt Molloy, Nth Qld
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