Reasons of my own? How about: It's disgusting, destructive, and a debasement of natural-history-related activities. People who commit such acts shouldn't be allowed to call their activities "birding" of any kind. It is criminal activity, and anyone caught doing it ought to be arrested, imprisoned, and then slowly subjected to the most painful punishment one can inflict. (Is that venomous enough for everyone?) I sincerely hope that real birders and naturalists enjoying the world properly will get on their cell phones immediately and call the local cops if they see anyone doing anything of this kind. Is there no activity that the crazies of our crazy, high-pressure, speed-insane world can't degrade? Excuse me, I'm gonna go plant some flowers and then watch the birds on the lake for an hour or two.

Burt Guttman
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA 98505 guttmanb at evergreen.edu
Home: 7334 Holmes Island Road S. E., Olympia, 98503

________________________________

From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu on behalf of carenp
Sent: Thu 3/17/2005 9:14 AM
To: tweets
Subject: [Tweeters] speed-birding



(1) one would think this defeats the purpose of birding, (2) it's
ecologically unsound, and (3) i'm sure everyone here can come up with other
reasons on their own:

"...During competition, they drive from one spot to another and rarely
venture more than 100 yards from their vehicle. They find birds on roadside
power lines and retention ponds as well as pristine flatwoods. They rumble
over washboard roads at 40 mph in search of more birds, and stop sometimes
for 30 seconds or less..."
"...Simpson said he has heard of speed-birders who, in their competitive
fervor, throw rocks into the bushes, light firecrackers, or drag chains
through a marsh in order to scare up some birds..."

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050314/NEWS/503140
449/1006/SPORTS

00 caren
http://www.parkgallery.org
unhappy on the internet
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