>Eugene Kridler has drawn up an eloquent 'rap sheet' for the European
>Starling -- and this European would certainly second it. I have an
>overwhelmingly strong inclination to regard all forms of life as equally
>sacrosanct, but it's been put to the test many times by the Starling, which
>at its worst seems to rival the human animal for gratuitously
>anti-environmental behavior.
>
>James West
-----------

Tweeters,

Surely we need to look _honestly_ at the problem of pest bird species using
a large field of view, giving due consideration to the root causes of the
problems and how we help to perpetuate them. Sparrows, starlings,
squirrels, rats and cats etc. etc. are "successful" species (like us...)
doing what comes naturally where human activity nurtures their
proliferation.

I'm also from England, and throughout Europe and on this continent I've
noted the harsh effects of human activity on wildlife, the associated
blooming of pest birds/animals/plants, followed by ill-planned and usually
ineffective scrambles to try to rectify or "manage" the resulting mess.

It's good when we collectively accept responsibility for the role we all
play in creating and exacerbating the problems, and, although it's _far_
from simple, work to find positive ideas and solutions that address the
underlying causes, as opposed to complaining and taking potshots at the
"symptoms."


Michele Herzberg
Kent, WA