Leg-flagging waders

[Penn Gwynne <>]

G'day Peter,

Thank you for your valued words and opinion.

Am I right to assume that a wild bird has to be caught by human hands and that these human hands as is often the case have very little training? the wild protected birds are caught by netting ... once netted they are then tagged or flagged and exactly for what? and why?

This on it's own causes death in wild birds.

To put these flags and tags on them alters their weight/flight ratio, ESPECIALLY when the tag or flag snares another object and the bird has to carry this extra further added weight load? furthering the death toll.

As I have hinted at before the world's oceans are NOT exactly clean, I hope all those that band waders follow UN OH&S guidelines as any bird could land anywhere, I have travelled a fair bit in my life and sailed to Oz as well as around it ...... it's quite disgusting to see those look-a-like mars bars out there, if you get my drift?

We have been told over and over again that netting wild birds causes the death of wild birds, even if those, like myself who are very anti to the netting wild birds, accepts unproven data from those that do net wild birds that only a very small percentage die then it is still known that the act of netting wild protected birds in fact kills?

We agree on this or not?

I await before further discussion.

John A. Gamblin

Peter Milburn <> wrote:

While agreeing entirely with the sentiments of Dean Portelli and Kym Bennet with regards to issues of animal welfare (did we ever discuss battery farming of poultry yet?) the problem that I have so far with this debate is that those speaking out against the practice of leg flagging are not producing concrete evidence or even rational argument in some cases.

Dean gives us some thought provoking observations and suggests that the practice be reviewed on the basis of on an opinion derived from anecdotal evidence.

My personal experience leads me to the opposite conclusion so do we have a basis for a rational discussion? No.

These banding projects are reviewed by the appropriate national authorities on a continuing basis. So far no country has found substantial cause to halt the practice. Documneted cases of problems relating to leg-flagged waders in Australia should be sent to Environment Australia such that the information enters the review process.
We could conduct a birding-aus based review where by people promptly submit
sightings of injured waders so that others members of the list have the opportunity to see for themselves. Posting photographs would be another method for keeping us aware of the problems. This would be a very powerful way of investigating this issue. Total numbers, numbers of flagged individuals and numbers of injured individuals both flagged and unflagged should be reported. I would be right there with the strongest opponents if I were to be convinced that significant suffering is being inflicted.

People are the biggest threat to shorebirds. It is important that data are generated that may be in turn used in the political arena to counter hunting, disturbance, habitat destruction etc.

Dr P.J. Milburn
Biomolecular Resource Facility
Australian National University
GPO Box 334
Canberra
ACT 0200

+61 2 6125 4173 'Phone
+61 2 6125 4326

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