Chris, are you referring to Jonny Schoenjahn's email here of 23/7/16? I took
that as a request for people to keep their distance, and to wait till eggs are
hatched (September was suggested), but I don't think there was a request for
secrecy, or to stay away altogether.
I don't think there's has been much discussion of the birds here, so perhaps
that's why there's been no reaction. I've seen photos on Facebook, but didn't
pay much attention. If people have been getting that close to active nests then
it shouldn't go unmentioned. Do you know if there's been evidence of nests
being abandoned?
Peter Shute
Sent from my iPad
On 20 Sep. 2016, at 9:45 am, Chris Watson
<<>> wrote:
G’day all,
This post might be interpreted as vaguely rebarbative but I’m genuinely
interested in having this discussion.
After posting about some forthcoming trips to see Letter-winged Kites, I, and
by extension Mark Carter who organised the trips I would be running, received
what amounted to an uninformed public dressing down from a researcher who
suggested that the proposed trips posed a risk to the welfare and nesting
success of the birds. This public response was made without contacting us
beforehand to establish our own understanding of the relevant issues and
ignored the fact that the ethical parameters of the trips were clearly and
prominently outlined in my post.
I thought it was completely uncalled for but… such is life in the online age.
It left us in a, “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation in which we
decided the only recourse was the prompt cancellation of the trips so the
finger could not be pointed at us in the event that any nests did fail, for any
reason.
Fast-forward a couple of months however, and it’s difficult not to be perturbed
by the double-standard on show. At the time of my post, the breeding sites were
a poorly-kept secret already. They are now completely public. Nests have been
visited by, conservatively, dozens of birdwatchers and photographers and a
cursory look through online birding groups reveals hundreds of images from the
sites, many of them with locations very specifically identified or
identifiable. Without doubt, there are pictures online which have been taken
from within 30 metres of an active nest when I was publicly warned to remain a
minimum of 300m distant from any nesting activity. A quick look through public
eBird lists from the region shows people submitting annotated lists, detailing
nesting activity at specific sites.
All of this is occurring on publicly viewable sites and social media accounts –
where’s the disapprobation now?
When it was two trained zoologists, with the requisite wildlife permits,
suggesting showing these amazing birds to people under supervision that would
ensure the birds’ welfare was prioritised, we were admonished for our perceived
lack of consideration.
Why is the entire birding community, which is usually red-hot in scotching the
publicising of nest sites for Grey Falcon, Princess Parrot, etc, now complicit
in the tacit approval of this blatant show-casing of specific breeding sites
for a nationally endangered bird in such an accessible location?
I’m prepared for many to write this off as sour grapes on my part but it’s also
a serious question.
Why are we letting this happen?
Sincerely,
Chris Watson
http://www.chriswatson.com.au/
Mob - 0419 358 942
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