birding-aus

Hot weather and birders: Bo Beolens and pink stilettos!

To: Denise Goodfellow <>,
Subject: Hot weather and birders: Bo Beolens and pink stilettos!
From: Sonja Ross <>
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 12:57:05 +1100
I guess another reason for guides to consider their clients is that older 
birders possibly have more money to spend on tours, and may therefore be 
spreading the word about a particular guide, so it is to their financial 
advantage to be considerate.  Probably most clients would rather have good 
views of a few birds, than brief glances at a greater number!

Sonja


On 25/10/2013, at 12:40 PM, Denise Goodfellow <> wrote:

> Hi Tony
> 
> I recall you raising this once before, and thank you for going into details.
> 
> Bo Beolens gave a fascinating talk at the recent Wildlife Tourism Australia
> workshop on a related issue (see in title), that of disabled birders and
> "six foot" guides.
> 
> Some of the statements from respondents to my PhD study  mention similar
> problems.  Some women complained about being out with such guides who could
> see a bird from their particular vantage point and grew angry that their
> clients couldn't.  One lady whom I know personally, returned from a trip on
> the point of exhaustion, ridden by the guide all the way to "keep up".  Her
> husband was furious.  Another woman trying to keep up with the guide and two
> other clients who were racing ahead, fell and hurt herself so badly she had
> to be helicoptered out.
> 
> One response to this sort of guiding, and again you raise this issue in your
> comment on "return business", is that couples in particular, seem more
> likely to do further trips with either a local guide or by themselves.  Why
> couples?  Well ,often one spouse is a more serious birder.  But if he (and
> it's generally a male) sees their spouse, a less serious lister, for
> example, is not enjoying themselves, then often they won't use that firm
> again.   
> 
> Bo compared the issue to pink stilettos and boots.  Not all can wear the
> former or the latter!  There needs to be a range of guides and experiences.
> 
> Denise
> 
> 
> On 25/10/13 10:26 AM, "Tony Russell" <> wrote:
> 
>> Interesting that you have raised this Denise. I have been out with some
>> guides , well known ones too, who seem to have no concern about or
>> understanding of their clients limitations. Some of them race around at a
>> pace difficult for others to keep up with and if the guide notices at all
>> can become impatient and often instruct people to "keep up", not realising
>> that this can be impossible for them.
>> Others can command elderly people to "get down on the ground" ( to look
>> under bushes), as though they were teenagers, and not acknowledging that
>> this can also often be an impossible requirement, and that getting up again
>> is usually a worse ordeal than getting down. I can recall two different
>> guides who did this to people on trips I've been on. It puts one off from
>> ever using those guides again or recommending anyone else to. Some guides
>> unrealistically expect clients to be as physically active as they are. Some
>> people may dismiss these problems as unimportant but a responsible guide
>> should develop ways of showing consideration for their older clients and
>> maybe generating some return business.
>> 
>> Tony, the aging crock.
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: 
>>  On Behalf Of Denise
>> Goodfellow
>> Sent: Friday, 25 October 2013 10:19 AM
>> To: Birding Aus
>> Cc: ; Peter Wood; Ronda Green BSc(Hons); Robyn Stark;
>> ; Maree Kerr; Kev
>> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Hot weather and birders
>> 
>> Recently the issue of tourism and hot weather was raised on Radio National.
>> 
>> Quite often I've been in the field with other guides who've either taken
>> people out in very hot, humid weather or who said they would have no
>> problems doing so.  One was a bus driver (who'd just started guiding as
>> well) who, if he'd had his way, would have taken a group of American
>> university students on a hike around the Kakadu sandstone in such weather.
>> The professor in charge agreed with him and it was only after I (their
>> guide/lecturer) refused to go that he backed down.
>> 
>> On another occasion a senior lady showed obvious signs of heat stress after
>> a long hike, but the guide appeared not to notice.
>> 
>> This issue is even more urgent now, with more hot days (we've probably had a
>> record number of fire ban days this Dry Season).
>> 
>> So please, if you're a visiting birder raise this issue with your guide or
>> operator.  
>> 
>> Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
>> PO Box 71,  Darwin River,
>> NT 0841
>> 043 8650 835
>> 
>> PhD candidate, SCU
>> Vice-chair, Wildlife Tourism Australia
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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