No, I don’t know of any single bird that has received as
much attention from the general public. There have been plenty of other attractions
that have lasted a few days or a lot more for the bird-interested section of
the public: that rail and the stint, Regent Honeyeaters, Swift Parrots,
Grey Goshawks etc.
For my money, it can top the BFI Index (Canberra
Division). However, it seems to be a reckless assumption that the ranks
of COG or the environmental vote will swell as a result of the number of
owl-gawpers. Probably the same people routinely attend fireworks displays
and F-111 fuel dumps. [gawp verb (i) (sometimes
followed by at) to look at something wonderingly or stupidly: I
stood there gawping]
From:
[
Sent: Wednesday, 30 May 2007 3:44 PM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Most famous Canberra bird?Re: [canberrabirds
[SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Well I have to
admit that to the uninitiated/novice birder a bird with a name Powerful Owl has
more pulling power than lets say a Long-toed Stint. The location also helps. PO
is close to a reputable cafe and not at the sewage works. The Lewin's Rail at
commonwealth park must be up there - tho' I think it was unable to entice Mark
Clayton away from his work. Finally once located for the day there was not much
chance of missing it as it stayed roosting until dusk. Nothing ellusive here.
The only risk being whether Mr McGregor chased you with his rake ( no offence
intended).
cheers
Richard
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Julian
Robinson <>
30/05/2007
03:22 PM
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[canberrabirds]
Most famous Canberra bird?
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re the illustrious Owl -- is there any other single bird that has received as
much attention as (i.e. been more famous than) the ANBG Powerful Owl, ever, in
the ACT? As has been pointed out, this is not a totally trivial exercise
when it comes to getting new members to COG and winning environmental
arguments, although measurement might be tricky. A BFI = bird famousness
index could be based on the number of people, inc enthusiasts, experts and the
public, who a) travel to see it, and b) know about it. This owl surely
must be a good candidate -- or have there been greater stars in COG history?
Julian
