Hi Penny, I don't think I know you, but thank you for your thoughts.
Aging process? Oh dear.
Tony
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of PennyDB
Sent: Thursday, 9 May 2013 12:44 PM
To:
Subject: A twitcher falls off the perch
Yes Tony, I also suffer this - it's part of the aging process. More and more
a desire to sit and contemplate the beauties of nature immediately around
you - watch your local common birds (wrens, thornbills,
honeyeaters) enjoy themselves in your bird baths or forage in the plants
growing in your garden.
Congratulations...................
>
> 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
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ===============================
>
> To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message:
> unsubscribe
> (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
> to:
>
> http://birding-aus.org
> ===============================
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
http://birding-aus.org
===============================
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
http://birding-aus.org
===============================
|
