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Birding harms birds??? (was: "Netting?")



"...bird watching in general is self-indulgent."  Stu Gibeau

"Bird watching has very nearly no value to birds."  Helmut Mueller

Given the above quotes, one must conclude that you think that Roger Tory
Peterson did more harm than good bringing birdwatching into being (replacing
Audubon's "birdshooting.")  Can either of you two gentlemen say,
"awareness?"  The environmental movements in this culture were advanced by
"self-indulgent" folx who took it upon themselves to display an interest in
wildlife.

If you must flagellate, pleased keep the whips to your own backs and keep
the whimpering down.


Tomm "Beholder" Lorenzin
Mooresville (Lake Norman), NC

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Beauty" doesn't necessarily involve "pretty."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visit me at: http://www.1000plus.com/Cataract/

> -----Original Message-----
> From: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu 
> [mailto:carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu] On Behalf Of Gibeau, Stu
> Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 08:30
> To: Helmut Mueller; CarolinaBirds@duke.edu
> Subject: RE: Netting?
> 
> 
> Helmut, I do agree that banding has a value to research 
> especially for species whose ranges are expanding or 
> contracting.  I don't use tapes, and am coming more and more 
> of the impression that  spishing is not all that much better 
> than just good listening.  Spishing seems most effective on 
> Chickadee's and titmice and I generally don't have to try 
> hard to find them. As far as the boobies go I agree that 
> humans approaching any bird on it's nest is stressful.  I try 
> to avoid approaching any nest I'm aware of. That's about the 
> best I can do.  Yes bird watching in general is self 
> indulgent.  But I think we can indulge ourselves and still 
> limit the impact to birds.  
> 
> Stu Gibeau
> Black Mountain, NC  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Helmut Mueller [mailto:hmuelle@earthlink.net]
> Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2003 3:11 PM
> To: CarolinaBirds@duke.edu
> Subject: Netting?
> 
> 
> On Thu, 27 Mar 2003, Gibeau,  Stu wrote:
> >
> > I don't think mist netting and trapping really lends all 
> that much to 
> > research.  I've met some people that do it and it seems to 
> be mostly 
> > self indulgence. Yes, I'm sure there are good uses for it 
> especially 
> > in cases where it's impossible to tell species apart and 
> > ranges/habitats are dramatically changing.  Still I think 
> most birds 
> > could probably be
> observed
> > unmolested.  I don't think there are any North American 
> species that 
> > we don't already have weight and size ranges for
> .
> He obviously feels that mist netting is bird molestation but 
> bird watching is not. But using paybacks of vocalizations, 
> pishing, etc and simply approaching birds does affect the 
> birds. A study monitoring heart rate of nesting boobies 
> showed that the bird's heart rate increased as humans 
> approached..even though the birds showed no overt sign of 
> being affected. Bird watching has very nearly no value to 
> birds, does not appreciably add to our useful knowledge, 
> exists solely for self indulgence, and since it affects 
> birds, it  probably should  be banned. Research does 
> contribute to knowledge and therefore is useful even though 
> it "molests' birds.
> 
> -- Helmut C Mueller
> 
> 409 Moonridge Road
> Chapel Hill, NC 27516
> Phone: 919-942-4937
> 
> Permanent email address: hmueller@email.unc.edu
> 
>