Dear Penny,
You have written:
> I have recently taken on a consultancy for Environment Australia on
> introduced birds. One of the tasks I've been given is to recommend an
> early warning system for exotics and it seems to me that Birds Australia
> and birding-aus would the be sensible way to go, at least for reporting of
> any new species that look like they are/have settled in. No other
> groups/organisations have the expertise.
Congratulations, Penny. I think you may have found a use for twitchers. A
world first? :-)
It's an excellent idea. Serious twitchers have the ability to recognise a
wide range of birds (which I admit I do not have), and they know how to go
about identifying a bird they do not recognise, through field guides or via
other experts such as fellow birding-aus twitchers. And the nature of
their interest takes them to remote parts of Australia, where resident bird
experts are thin on the ground and probably hard to locate and contact.
And where there are local bird experts in remote localities, again twitchers
are the ones who are likely to be able to help you find them.
The Aboriginal people know their bird fauna intimately and would immediately
notice a strange species. If Denise Goodfellow reads this she might care to
comment on the possibilities of capitalising on this knowledge for Env.
Aus's purposes.
There would be few on birding-aus who would not wish that those pesky common
mynahs had never been allowed to get a hold on the Australian continent. If
we can help to avert future disasters of a similar nature, it would indeed
be a good thing.
I'll be very surprised - and disappointed - if you don't get a helpful
response from fellow birding-aus members.
I wish you, and Env,. Aust., every success in this enterprise.
Sincerely,
Syd Curtis
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