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I'm not sure exactly when or why I started birding but it is almost
certainly because of my Grade 6 teacher. She taught us about birds - I
don't know if it was part of any syllabus, although my sister who is
currently in grade 6 studied birds briefly before school camp at Paluma -
unfortunately the birds they studied were highly unlikely to appear & they
didn't study the birds that visit the birdfeeder, which no doubt diminished
the experience somewhat.
When I was in grade 6 we went down to the lagoons in nearby Anderson Park
to sketch the moorhens & ducks. At one point a Darter climbed hastily out of
the water a couple of metres in front of us & proceeded to dry it's wings -
potentially a magical experience, but as far as I know none of my classmates
developed an interest in birds, except perhaps shooting them.
We were also to start a house list, which I did & one of the first on
the list was a stunning Brahminy Kite soaring overhead. From that point on I
think I made a note of the birds I saw each day. I started recording
species lists & started my life list at the end of the next year.
I didn't really make it know that I was a birder, didn't even stand up for
the "shags" that my mates had shot on the weekend, because it wasn't a cool
pastime but anyone who found out seemed OK with it - at least they didn't
make any derogatory comments, which I was half expecting.
One out of 30 isn't a very good comversion rate under such circumstances,
but if education isn't the answer I don't know what is. As Lawrie Conole said, I
can't see how anyone could fail to take an interest in the environment when its
all around us. Why is it the birds of the UK have managed to arouse
the interest of so many, yet those of Australia, far surpassed in diversity
& beauty & the splendour of the environment they occupy seem to
have failed?
Tim Dickson
Townsville
(Sorry, I'm sure the UK & its birds are very nice too)
-----Original Message-----
From:
<>
To:
Birding-Aus <>
Date:
02 05 2003 13:34
Subject: [BIRDING-AUS] Beginning
Birding
Some thoughts from a young
birder:
I've found birding to be a very
wholistic process to learn about the environment, environmental issues, and
how subtle and volatile eco-systems can be. Before i began birding, i knew
very little about native vegitation, with most trees simply being labeled as
gums or wattles. I had trouble distinguising between a wetland and a dam,
often thinking "there's water.... why isn't there any ducks?" Happily,
i'm slowly learning about the subtlies that support wildlife and its
diversity. But i think its up to the elders in society to lead the way, and
pave the way to the path of environmental wisdom.
I believe that if some type of birding
course was administered into the australian education system, the whole of
Australia would experience widespread benefits from it. This extends from
environmental awareness and conservation, to a greater feeling of belonging
and harmony within our surrounding environment.
You can definently see the damage that
the 'longing' for mother europe and other continents, has caused to the
Australian environment. There was a need to sit under an old pine with
the sounds of starlings and sparrows echoing around, with a clear view of
open rolling green hills. This has decimated the Australian environment,
thereby reducing the wildlife that lived with in it. And i think that longing
is still widespread, and most of the Australian population still can't
percieve the benefits of native species. I've talked to people that think that
no Australian native plant can provide a nice shady tree to sit under on a hot
sunny day, others that think there are no good Australian native wind
breaks!
We need education! But to be really
educated, we need emersion in the environment, and personal experiences of
nature....not just facts!
This is why i think birding is so
great. It gets you out and about and within the real Australia. Its starts
with birds, but then you start seeing what birds eat and you learn about the
plants and insects and fish, and how these food sources are sustained and the
cycles they go through. ....Maybe we will even learn something about ourselves
in the process?
Peter
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