birding-aus

John Weigel

To: Peter Shute <>
Subject: John Weigel
From: Eric Jeffrey via Birding-Aus <>
Date: Fri, 20 May 2016 01:44:59 +0000
If you read the comments section of Olav's blog, for example, you will see that 
passions also run high among non-participants. Indeed, they seem more exorcized 
than Olav.

Eric

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 19, 2016, at 9:37 PM, Peter Shute <> wrote:
>
> The way I see it, it's mainly other big year participants who want proof. 
> It's true that no one wins a million dollars, but they'll want to protect the 
> time and money they've invested in their year.
>
> Peter Shute
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Eric Jeffrey 
>> Sent: Friday, 20 May 2016 10:43 AM
>> To: Peter Shute <>
>> Cc: Kim Sterelny <>; Birding Aus <birding-
>> >
>> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] John Weigel
>>
>> The real question is why we place these increasing demands on participants.
>> It is not as if the winner gets crowned king or wins a million dollars. If 
>> they are
>> lucky, perhaps they will be featured in a book that gets made into a movie.
>>
>>
>> Eric Jeffrey
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On May 19, 2016, at 8:33 PM, Peter Shute <> wrote:
>>>
>>> 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
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> <HR>
>>>> <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
>>>> <BR> 
>>>> <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
>>>> <BR>
>>>> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
>>>> </HR>
>>>>
>>>> <HR>
>>>> <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
>>>> <BR> 
>>>> <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
>>>> <BR>
>>>> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
>>>> </HR>
>>>
>>> <HR>
>>> <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
>>> <BR> 
>>> <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
>>> <BR>
>>> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
>>> </HR>
>


<HR>
<BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
<BR> 
<BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
<BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
</HR>

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU