Spot on Chris.
I would like to respond to a number of comments raised on this issue by
stating some facts, not necessarily in the order of importance:
Only a small percentage of birds are ever caught and banded, they act as a
sample of the whole population on which to base management decisions;
Bird banding is carried out by people who volunteer their time, money and
expertise because they want to contribute to the scientific study of birds
and assist in their conservation;
We don't know enough about any species to say that banding is a waste of
time and an unnecessary intrusion into a bird's life. Banding was started
in Australia in a coordinated way in 1953 but it has always been run on a
shoestring and by volunteers who have worked hard to fill the gaps in the
knowledge of our birds life histories. The Australian Bird and Bat banding
Scheme is run by two staff, one for only a couple of days a week;
Banding is only carried out in accordance with strict conditions determined
by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme and by banders who have
received extensive training and experience;
Modern techniques such as satellite tracking are an additional techniques to
banding and not alternatives to it. Most transmitters have a very short
life. Bands last the life of the bird (in most cases). I chose powder
coated colour bands for my Black-necked Stork research rather than the more
costly satellite tracking as they provide long term data that satellite
tracking doesn't. The results have been very impressive;
Banding is one tool in a tool box of methods to research birds. To not use
it would be like driving your car at night with your lights off;
Any adverse effects detected on birds from banding have been swiftly
addressed by the banding office. When it was found that penguin flipper
bands had reduced the foraging efficiency of penguins by a small percentage
their use was discontinued. Banders are more than happy to receive
documented cases of harm so that it can be prevented in the future. These
cases seem to be extremely rare or non-existent. But if a case does arise
then people witnessing the problem should advise the banding office with the
relevant evidence but shouldn't jump to conclusions as the cause of the
problem may not be what is first thought.
It is a shame that there is a small number of people on this site that are
strongly anti-banding. The sentiments expressed are certainly a slap in the
face to the dedicated people who spend many hours working to learn more
about our birds by carrying out bird banding activities. It would be great
if you could come on board and help promote banding as it is an extremely
valuable tool in learning more about our birds, many of which are under
threat. Banding is not the threat. It is part of the armoury to help fight
the decline. We can have a hands off approach and then watch as our birds
disappear without any knowledge of why.
Greg
Dr Greg. P. Clancy
Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide
PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460
0266493153 0429601960
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Cooper
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2013 9:19 PM
To:
Subject: Another bivalve victim
In relation to benefits of bird banding; at one point people thought
we knew everything there was to know about physics. Lord Kelvin
(1824- 1907) said:
"There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now, All that
remains is more and more precise measurement."
It difficult to imagine anything further from the truth. The point is
we don't know what we don't know and we will never know unless we do
the research.
I addition to proving points in relation to developments, knowing the
birds movements better and their habitat preferences has to help with
conservation.
Chris Ross
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