A friend forwarded this to me, and I thought it needed at least a brief
response.

>--- Forwarded mail from tweeters at u.washington.edu
>
> This is a very interesting thread... I'm currently taking a birding
> class through the Audubon Society, where the 'party line' seems to be
> toward more awareness and appreciation for our more common species and
> their status and behavior. My impression is that the professionals
> (like Dennis Paulson) believe that chasing rare birds has very little
> to do with ornithology or natural history at all, and is some kind of
> only marginally related 'sport' (my apology, Dennis, for putting words
> in your mouth).

> Rick Romea
> Seattle,WA

They're the right words, Rick, but I'll add the caveat that at least some,
perhaps most, chase-a-bird-across-a-state people are interested in
ornithology and natural history. Although I always try to brainwash people
in the classes I teach (that's what they're for, right?), I hope it's clear
to anyone who hears me nattering on about it that it's the process I
criticize, not the people. I *am* disappointed that so much birding
focuses on chasing rarities. I am *not* down on the people who pursue the
chase, as it's entirely their business, and they have just as much right to
do it as I have to avoid doing it. What has been apparent to me over the
years is that the chasing of rarities isn't necessarily accompanied by an
increased knowledge of birds, or even bird identification! The stories I
could tell about people who have returned from a successful rare-bird
chase, and their response to me when I asked them to describe the bird.....

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html