Walter Knapp wrote:
> From: Walter Knapp <>
> Reply-To:
> Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2003 21:22:50 -0500
> To:
> Subject: Re: [Nature Recordists] Success! and some more samples
>
> Martyn Stewart wrote:
>> Bloody hell Walter, are you married to an Aussie too!!
(Snip)
>>
>> Martyn
>
> Yep, Joan is Australian. Or maybe was, as she's a US citizen now.
>
> She hates team sports, but loves rowing. Has her own carbon fiber racing
> shell that she uses quite a bit. Not for racing, she just likes her
> recreation fast at times. And there is a certain challenge in getting
> about on the water on something a lot narrower than you and over 20' long.
Is one entitled to deduce that Martyn is, shall we say, broad of stature?
(Rhetorical question.)
>
> What Syd does not maybe realize is if I went there, I'd disappear into
> the outback, go walkabout. I really loved it out there, way out there.
> It was kind of funny when I was over there trying to find out info. The
> average person in the coastal cities can tell you almost nothing about
> what's going on in the outback. It was hard to even get a weather
> report. Maybe it's changed now.
>
Well yes. So you disappear into the outback, Walter, but eventually you'd
have to come back to base to communicate with other scientists and share
your results with us. Our frogs are worthy of someone of your calibre.
We have an Australian Wildlife Sound Recording Group, and frog songs do
appear from time to time on our radiating CDs, but not to an extent that
makes me think that anyone is seriously working on their vocalisations as
you obviously have done for Georgian frogs.
> Joan also loves frogs.
>
And there you have the advantage of me. My dear Anne has a genuine medical
phobia where frogs are concerned. The poor girl suffered a lot when were
first married (half a century ago) while I was learning just how serious
such a phobia is for the person who has it. (Never met a phobia before.)
Once I did fully appreciate the situation I was/am able to do a lot to
shield her, but a serious study of frog-calls is not a possibility for me.
Seeking to import Walter and his skills, reminds of an amusing incident in
the reverse sense, from years ago. The New Zealand Prime Minister at the
time, Mr Muldoon, was asked whether he was worried about the large numbers
of New Zealanders emigrating to Australia.
"Not at all," he replied, "it increases the average intelligence of both
nations!"
And Walter, you do realise, don't you, that for most of the outback (and
there's a lot of it as you know), for most of the time, there are no
man-made noises at all to pollute your recordings, and by doing a bit of
advance negotiation you'd have access to most anywhere and not be restricted
to recording from the roadside. (There are grazing properties that have had
nasty experiences with ignorant city folk, where the owner excludes casual
visitors, but I reckon that in most cases a proper approach in advance would
gain you permission to enter.)
> It was kind of funny when I was over there trying to find out info. The
> average person in the coastal cities can tell you almost nothing about
> what's going on in the outback. It was hard to even get a weather
> report. Maybe it's changed now.
Yep, it's changed: there are now a lot more city folk ignorant of what's
going on in the outback. But there are good weather reports and forecasts
thanks to satellite technology. To what extent you'd have access to them
from remote parts of the outback is another matter though. I'm sure that's
known - but not by me.
Cheers
Syd
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