birding-aus

Bird Hides

To: <>
Subject: Bird Hides
From: "Alan Morris" <>
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2003 08:34:01 +1100
Hi Birders,
 
I would like to ginger up the debate on bird hides and so ask the question, is the proposed bird hide necessary at all?. This question must be asked in the beginning when one is proposing to install a hide, because in many places that I have been to where hides have been built, I have been able to see all the birds without going into the hide! There are some areas where a hide is useful, like in cold and wet climates (like Melbourne in winter?) or where a lot of effort has been made to totally screen the people entering the hide, but in the majority of cases in Australia, possibly because hunting birds is not a major issue, the birds  are not to worried about human approaches.
 
Certainly unless the bird hide is in a secure place, it will be subject to vandalism, and having a hide for which access is via a key available from a local shop 3 afternoons a week or whatever is a waste of time. There may be some value in constructing viewing areas that have a cover to provide shade for birders but not a full hide.
 
I believe that too many authorities, particularly local government, are happy to built hides at great cost, rather than spend the money managing the environment and controlling the foxes and the weeds and enhancing the wildife values. It is easy to see the results of your funds in bricks and mortar (especially if the hide is named after some local hero) rather than to see that the wildlife habitat has been enhance. I for one am generally opposed to bird hides and would rather see the funds spent on enhancing the local wildlife habitats.
 
So Debbie Colbourne consider my views too!
 
Alan Morris
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