Did you ever have a goal with all this twitching? For most people, 700 is an
unachievable target, so maybe you've gone so far past it that you feel like
you're done with it.
Or perhaps you were never that interested in vagrants, and you've done all the
natives. Maybe you should be thinking of a Night Parrot expedition instead.
I can't say I'm speaking from much experience. I did a rough count the other
day and found I was well into the 300s - about 50 higher than I expected.
Peter Shute
Sent from my iPad
On 09/05/2013, at 10:57 AM, "Tony Russel" <> wrote:
>
>
> Hi All, I've been twitching since the early nineties, feverishly chasing
> after vagrants new and rare to Australia. My Oz total now stands at 753
> given my last twitch for the Eyebrowed Thrush near Atherton. I have in the
> past spent what must be thousands of dollars on fuel, airfares,
> accommodation, site fees, food, etc., and many hundreds of hours going for
> the latest vagrant arrivals before they disappear or die or get predated.
> Great fun.
>
>
>
> However, things seem to be changing. In recent years I've thought about
> going for the latest vagrants in Broome and Perth, like the Semi-palmated
> Plover in Broome and the Northern Pintail in Perth,, and even the Princess
> Parrot in the Centre, but somehow have lost the compulsion to go for them.
> Money and time are not the determining factors. I just seem to have lost
> steam.
>
> The recent Widgeon in WA and the current Wagtail in Alice have of course
> caught my attention, but I find I just can't be bothered going for them.
> What for? Just another tick in my list? I was hoping to catch up with a
> Black-headed Gull in Darwin sometime, but having just been to the UK
> (without my bins) I saw hundreds of them. And widgeons. So what?
>
>
>
> Surely this sort of thinking is sacrilege to the true twitcher I thought I
> was. Now the thinking is "so what if I don't see them?"
>
>
>
> I used to think that lifting my total towards 800 was important to me, now
> it seems entirely immaterial. So what if other people get a bigger list than
> me? It doesn't affect anything does it . I collect beautiful pictures of
> rare birds on the internet. Not the same as seeing them in the flesh ? Of
> course not. So?
>
>
>
> In the past I've had many a heated discussion with some of our more academic
> birdos over the value of twitching, which they of course consider
> contributes very little to the important issues of habitat and species
> conservation. I have to agree with them. What possible useful impact can a
> single vagrant achieve before it dies or gets eaten?
>
>
>
> Of course a group of vagrants, like the Canada Geese of a few years ago, if
> left to establish and form ever growing numbers, can have effects on habitat
> usage, nest sites, food supplies etc, which upsets the natural ecological
> balance and often affect indigenous species adversely. Moreover, many of
> these feral groups are now too well established over time to be eradicated,
> and isn't it better to learn to live with them than get all upset about
> them. Feral colonies are only good for twitchers but only of nuisance value
> for conservationists.
>
>
>
> I don't understand how my drop off in zeal has come about. Those disdainful
> of twitching might suggest that "Aha, at last he's come to his senses", but
> I don't accept that. The thought of seeing a new bird is still interesting
> , even exciting, but I just can't be bothered going after them anymore. I
> Googled the creek where the Widgeon was seen in WA, and I thought about
> asking Chris Watson precisely which garden in Alice has the Wagtail. But to
> what avail? I know I'm not going.
>
>
>
> Is there anybody out there suffering from a similar malaise ?
>
>
>
> Tony
>
>
>
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