birding-aus

Re: Recent Ruff Sighting - An apology

To: Mark and Mandy Young <>
Subject: Re: Recent Ruff Sighting - An apology
From: Alistair McKeough <>
Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:14:08 +1100
Mark

It's not your fault at all. It's great to report rare birds so that people
can enjoy them and I, for one, am grateful you reported this one.

The fault is of those who are so obsessed with a tick that they don't care
if they flush the bird and other birds, thereby also buggering up the
chances of other birders seeing a rarity.

Unfortunately, in a mostly responsible community there are always a few
selfish knobs and they seem to have gone for the Ruff. It's the same with
photographers. One hundred sit in cover hoping for a bird to come into the
open, but there's always a few that trespass, cut down trees or branches and
generally act irresponsibly.

Dave Stowe and I spent a couple of hours sitting quietly hoping the Ruff
would show. It didn't. I was a bit disappointed, as I haven't seen a Ruff,
but I was just happy to be in the beautiful outdoors and who cares if you
dip? I'm very grateful you reported so I could try for the bird. It's not
reporting that should be discouraged, we should be making pariahs of
irresponsible birders. A bit of name and shame wouldn't hurt in these
situations.

Alistair


2010/1/16 Mark and Mandy Young <>

> G'day everyone,
>
>
>
> A few weeks ago I posted a bird that I had seen but that couldn't ID. That
> bird turned out to be a Ruff.
>
> At that time I posted it, I wasn't aware just how rarely these birds are
> seen. Shorebirds of Australia has these birds as 'Rare and unpredictable in
> Australia, but recorded annually'.
>
>
>
> In my initial post I gave the exact location of where I spotted this bird,
> something I know see in hindsight as a mistake.
>
>
>
> Talking to people over the past couple of weeks who have been out to try
> and
> find the bird, it appears that some of the people who have been looking for
> it where behaving in quite an irresponsible manner whilst at the lagoon.
>
> >From what I've heard, some people though not all, were so set on seeing
> this
> bird that they weren't too concerned about scaring the other Sandpipers,
> Dotterels, Crakes etc. They weren't overly concerned about where they
> walked, or how they walked, just as long as they saw the Ruff.
>
>
>
> In part I feel this is my fault, and I feel the need to apologise for not
> using a bit of discretion regarding the location of the bird. I shouldn't
> have advertised the location of the bird in my post. A mistake I won't make
> a second time.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Mark and Mandy
>
>
>
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