Hi
I sent a few thoughts on bird lists to Russell a wee while ago. Wasn't used,
but perhaps the fantastical eco-claims about the Daintree might bring a
re-evaluation?
Hi Russell,
I've been prompted to ponder some shortcomings apparent in many bird lists. I
wonder if the following short thought would bring feedback?
IF birdos on the Titanic had been told of a list to port they'd have demanded
to know what birds were on it.
For we do love lists: today's species; week's; month's; year's; lifetime's. One
site; block; cell; state; country; world.
So those of us not physicists are all more or less Rutherford's 'stamp
collectors'. Give Ernest his due, it's unlikely he was in total earnest. Those
super-starched 1930s types failed to feel their legs being firmly tugged by the
atom-splitting Kiwi.
Taxonomists can take all the umbrage they like, but surely one of Rutherford's
points would have been: is the list real (will it stand rigorous scrutiny)?
How real are the lists many of us love to be challenged by? Not the major
international and national lists. No matter how bizarrely geographic,
inclusive, exclusive, lumping or splitting they may be, at least they are under
serious scrutiny.
But many impressively long lesser lists seek to cash in on eco-tourism and the
'big bucks' birdos throw around. Laugh if you like, but the tourism industry
appears to believe birdos are mostly millionaires. It also has an inflated idea
of birding numbers (partly because most caravanners, for example, tick the box
in surveys - and indeed may glance at them sometimes). The temptation all round
is to gild the lily.
After puzzling over some 'optimistic' lists might I suggest birding groups work
on guidelines to help tourism and local, state and federal government produce
info that's both accurate and - to my point - realistic. Endit
What do you think?
Cheers
Tony Ashton
So,what do you think?
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