Kim, my point wasn't about the morality of big years, but about the decreasing
practicality of them. Apart from the increasing cost due to the higher counts
required, the burden of proof required for such a high stakes game may be
getting too difficult to meet. Do you have to photograph every bird now, where
once only one's word, or the occasional photo was sufficient? And do you also
have to prove that you took the photos yourself, at the place and time your
claim to have taken them?
Peter Shute
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus On Behalf
> Of Kim Sterelny
> Sent: Friday, 20 May 2016 10:04 AM
> To: Kim Sterelny <>
> Cc: 'Birding Aus' <>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] John Weigel
>
> People
>
> I have never done a big year, nor have any intention (or the skills) to do
> so.
> But can folks please stop moralising about the choices of how other people
> spend their time and money. If people want to go on a holiday chasing birds,
> or have a gap year doing so, that is their choice. If you think it is
> interesting
> and fun; read their books; follow their blog (I'll certainly be looking out
> for
> Kingbird Highway); if not, don't. But unless you never go on a holiday; never
> spend money renovating your house; never fly; cycle or walk everywhere;
> remember that you have a carbon footprint too; you could donate to
> charities more; and so forth. As choices about how to spend your life go, bird
> chasing is pretty harmless. So respect others' choices.
>
> OK: that probably counts as moralising too! But I'll risk it Kim
>
>
>
> Kim Sterelny, School of Philosophy, Research School of the Social Sciences,
> Australian National University, Acton, 0200, ACT, Australia
> or
>
> 61-(0)2-6125-2886
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Birding-Aus <> on behalf of Tony
> Russell <>
> Sent: Friday, 20 May 2016 8:45 AM
> To: 'Peter Shute'; 'Anne Brophy'
> Cc: 'Birding Aus'; 'Tim'
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] John Weigel
>
> Were they ever practical ? Or of any use whatsoever ? Surely only the
> attention seeking misdirected aspirations of the person with too much time
> and money to expend are involved. It's just a silly " I'm better than you"
> game and the money would be better given to a deserving charity ( and for
> the person to get a job).
>
> Tony.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus On Behalf
> Of Peter Shute
> Sent: 19 May 2016 21:11
> To: Anne Brophy
> Cc: Birding Aus; Tim
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] John Weigel
>
> I haven't read Kingbird Highway, but I see that it's set in 1973. I believe
> Roy
> Wheeler and Kevin Bartram, who did their Australian big years not that long
> after, also didn't drive.
>
> I think it would be impossible to break the record these days without a
> driving licence, and a lot of time and a lot of cash, let alone the
> organisational
> and birding skills and luck that have always been required.
>
> Given the increasing difficulty of breaking the record, can these attempts
> continue indefinitely? Surely a time will come when the personal cost won't
> be worth the tiny chances of beating the record. And surely, as the record
> gets harder to beat, the temptation to take "shortcuts" will increase, and
> with it the need to provide the proof that is being asked of John Wiegel.
> It's a
> big ask to expect someone to get a photo of every bird, and as we saw in a
> recent Victorian big year, even a photo can be insufficient proof.
>
> Are big years becoming impractical?
>
> Peter Shute
>
>
>
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