Hello again
My book collecting friend Lloyd asks about the above book by
Nigel Wheatley. I had the misfortune to pick it up at the RSPB Visitors
Centre in Norfolk a few weeks back. Normally I would by a book of that title
as well and turned to areas that I know well, especially Daintree. The parts
that I inspected were wrong and terribly out-dated. The Daintree River bit
for instance I feel may have been copied from Thomas and Thomas and then
abreviated. I put the book back on the shelf and just sighed to Denise who
was busy with some very impressive postcards.
If everyone will bear with me for a moment I would like to clear the air.
Many of my hard working birdwatching tourist operator colleagues will
probably identify with this. When I started my birdwatching boat trips on
the Daintree the owner of the general store in Daintree was very kind and
gave me a lot of help as a booking office. The store changed hands years ago
and the manager has her own boat business. Given the competitive nature of
24 tourist vessels plying their trade she innocently books "birdwatching
enquiries" on the family tourist boat because Thomas and Thomas, a similarly
titled book and this new one directs readers to the store for my tour. Their
cruises are of a good standard and they are very good at finding reptiles
but I would have to say that birdwatching is not their long suit. The
confusion caused by both Thomas and Thomas, and probably this new book, is
very embarrassing. It is also very embarrassing to put this in the post as
it sounds like sour grapes but that is the way it is. Small environmental
tours like mine have enough obstacles placed in front of them without
authorative authors writing wrong information and not checking their facts.
Richard Thomas and I have spoken about this and his entry is a genuine
mistake. He also brings out amendments to keep his and Sarah's book up to
date in future sales and I thank them for that.
As to this new book, if it has mistakes all the way through it then
perhaps the word should go out far and wide.
On not such a cheery note,
Chris and Denise
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******
Chris Dahlberg's Specialised River Tours. Daintree Village Phone 4098 7997
............................................................................
...... Denise Collins, Manager, Red Mill House.(for 1999) Phone and Fax
4098 6233
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****** Our river tour and Red Mill House can be seen on:
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~fnq/daintree/dvta01.html
along with links to other local sites especially
birdwatching.
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******
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