To all - my comments are well-sourced, mostly from peer-reviewed papers, and
that includes my remarks about the ABA.
In recent years the ABA, according to ex- president Richard Payne and others,
have done their best to ensure that the ABA focuses more on conservation. This
is an intriguing move given their break away from the Audubon Society and
chapters, bodies that had their roots in the conservation movement. Apparently
one reason for this move is the change in mindset at the top of the
organisation. Another reason is to make the ABA more attractive to women
(most ABA members are men).
Philip, I don’t understand your reference to the NRA. Are you confusing them
with Ducks Unlimited? I believe that organisation has done much good work in
conserving waterfowl habitat.
I’m not against hunting, nor listing for that matter, as long as birders toe
the line. However status and a sense of achievement is often attached to bird
lists as can be seen by the emphasis on Big Years etc. (I can quote
peer-reviewed papers if anyone is interested). And so it’s not surprising that
some might put their list before the welfare of a bird.
As for vigilance - I’ve been delighted to see Birding Aus members attempt to do
something about birders who do the wrong thing. However, vigilance doesn’t
seem to have worked particularly well in the case of our sewage ponds, and the
Red Goshawk at Mataranka. And didn’t someone mention the Penrice Saltfields?
Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
PO Box 71
Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
043 8650 835
PhD candidate, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW.
Founding Member: Ecotourism Australia
Nominated by Earthfoot for Condé Nast’s International Ecotourism Award, 2004.
With every introduction of a plant or animal that goes feral this continent
becomes a little less unique, a little less Australian.
On 12 Aug 2015, at 2:02 pm, Philip Veerman <> wrote:
> Yes Denise there is a basis to your concerns but I think you are may be
> overstating these issues, especially writing to this group. Yes some people
> push limits a bit and it is reasonable that we keep up a modest level of
> vigilance on ensuring these don't become problems. Your message also implies
> some problem with the American Birding Association (how many people here
> have heard of that) and I don't understand what point you are making with
> that. Surely they are an improvement on the National Rifle Association that
> has huge political power in the USA and might be the other recreational
> group that such people may be interested to support.
>
> Philip
>
>> From:
>> Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2015 08:43:24 +0930
>> To:
>> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Night Parrot captured and videoed
>> CC:
>>
>> Sorry Charles, I have to disagree with you on empathy. To lister for
> example birding is a sport, competition, or “non-lethal” hunting, as Moore,
> Scott and Moore (2008) have described it - you yourself have used the term
> “quarry”.
>>
>> David Sibley, famous US birder once said that a lot of the things that
> “excite” birders "are bad for the birds.” Indeed birding as ‘sport’ appears
> to have been a reason for the establishment of the American Birding
> Association, and in my decades of birding I’ve seen nothing to convince me
> that the situation in Australia is any different.
>>
>>
>> Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
>>
>> PO Box 71
>> Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
>> 043 8650 835
>>
>> PhD candidate, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW.
>>
>> Founding Member: Ecotourism Australia
>> Nominated by Earthfoot for Condé Nast’s International Ecotourism Award,
> 2004.
>>
>> With every introduction of a plant or animal that goes feral this
> continent becomes a little less unique, a little less Australian.
>
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