I'm sorry, but I take exception to people setting themselves up as arbiters
on what is a worthwhile pastime and what isn't. To me, birdwatching is a
hobby, pure and simple: I collect photographs and I enjoy playing around
with lists and accumulating sightings. I am not an ornithologist and have no
desire to become one. Therefore, I feel it is someone else's vocation to
contribute to the body of knowledge about birds. I personally know some
plane spotters, and, whilst I find it hard to relate to their excitement, I
would never disparage or denigrate what they do. Some people on this list
have a condescending attitude to twitchers and listers and are only too
pleased when something like this fire story comes along so that they can tar
everyone with the same brush. How many twitchers do you think would set a
fire to flush birds out? Don't forget, that listers choose to list birds
rather than planes or trains or rocks. In most cases it's because they
actually like birds and wouldn't harm them for the world.
Steve Murray
-----Original Message-----
From: Birding-Aus On Behalf Of
brian fleming
Sent: Friday, 20 February 2015 2:54 PM
To:
Subject: Night Parrot - tickers and listers
I am personally always delighted to see a new bird.
I am prepared to get in the car and drive a moderate distance to go and see
one. I have been known to pay money for people to show me birds in Cape
York and the Kimberley.
But I am extremely concerned - no, appalled, to hear of some person
seriously suggesting that spinifex should be fired in order to give him a
chance of "ticking" a Night Parrot, or anything else. Or trespassing on
indigenous people's land to see a Princess Parrot, as happened a few years
ago.
My personal opinion is that far too much effort is spent on ticking species
and building life-lists. If the same effort was put into studying the
life-histories of even common birds, we would know very much more than we
do.
Certainly atlassing has greatly built up our knowledge of bird distribution
and migration, and Twitchathons etc. have provided a great deal of fun for
those energetic enough to do it - so has digital photography. But first and
foremost, please let us consider the birds.
Anthea Fleming
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