Beginning birding .. give them the write tools for the right job

[Penn Gwynne <>]

G'day Lawrie and all,

 

I'd like very much to talk to you about this topic and what is taught in Australian schools? perhaps off line? I don't want "Rustybubs" screaming at me but what hope does the Australian Tourism Authority have if we ARE NOT training and educating the young ones of Oz in thee correct ways.

 

Try this as I have done recently, show a certain pack of cards to some young ones, many pick the minister of misinformation of Iraq and his co-horts.

 

Then try asking the class individually what is this bird called, as you show them a card with a "Rainbow Lorikeet" or a "Tawny Owl" it's pretty sad really.

 

Mind you this perhaps makes an opportunity for a true blue Oz deck of cards manufacturer eh?

 

"What have you got there little Johnny" asks the playground teacher, Johnny replies just some cards with good looking Aussie birds on them ;^D>>>

 

Ooroo mate, catch em young and they are there for life I say.

JAG

Lawrie Conole <> wrote:

 

jade welch wrote:

I would stongly agree with the fact that you don't meet many young birders. Next to Kurtis you are the second birder i have met who is young so to speak. I wish we had more young birders around. Now maybe this is a worthy thread!! Why are there so few "young" birders? I'm not exactly over the hill at 42, but yes, approaching the hill I concede.

 

Oh crikey that makes me absolutely fabulous ancient :^D>>>

 

Lawrie Conole wrote:

 

As a teenager I found the whole idea of roaming around the countryside discovering the secrets of nature about as much fun as I could imagine. Having always had a rampant curiosity, natural history was perhaps a natural inclination. I learnt a hell of a lot from older naturalists, but maybe not as much as what I found out for myself when travelling around the state and country with a few like-minded contemporaries. We had a lot of fun, and got up to enough other mischief to avoid being labelled as wowsers. I can't remember a time when I wasn't aware of and interested in whatever happened to be flying past, or warbling from the nearby shrubbery, etc., so it's a bit hard for me to understand why not everyone finds this as fascinating as I do!! Even now when I do this kind of stuff for a living, my inherent interest in the subject matter hasn't diminished (I just don't have much spare time to pursue it out of work hours!!).

Why is the analogue pursuit of field natura l history in Australia so
profoundly unpopular and daggy these days compared to the various
digital/virtual pursuits?

 

Perhaps? the teachers have made it daggy?

 

Particularly given that there are numerous applications for digital technology in natural history these days - Russell just mentioned a few in his last missive. Even in the UK last year when I was impressed by the enormous number of birders and bird-aware folk roaming around the countryside, I think I only saw/met about 5 birders younger than 30. I tend to look a bit younger than my years, so there was always a flash of recognition from other "young" birders (more like stunned surprise perhaps??).

Take it away Birding-Aus-ers ...........
=================================
Lawrie Conole
Senior Ecologist
Ornithology & Terrestrial Ecology
Ecology Australia Pty. Ltd.
Flora and Fauna Consultants
88B Station Street
FAIRFIELD VIC 3078 Australia
E-mail:
Internet: http://www.ecologyaustralia.com.au/
Ph: (03) 9489 4191; Mob: (0419) 588 993
Fax: (03) 9481 7679
ABN 83 006 757 142

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