A few people have written to me to condemn my condemnation of speed-birding, as described in the message (below) from carenp. Some of them seem to think I'm condemning the "Big Day" activity. I have always assumed the subscribers to Tweeters are able to read the English language, though with the decline in education generally in America perhaps I can no longer make that assumption. Those of you who are able to read, or who would like to learn to read better, might go back and look at my message to see that I never mentioned the term "Big Day." In fact, the Big Day is a very old birding tradition. Roger Tory Peterson wrote about it in 1948, noting that has also been called the "Lethal Tour," "Century Run," or "Grim Grind." I can't imagine how anyone reading my message could interpret it to be a condemnation of this activity!!

However, "speed-birding," as described here, is a violation--not only of birding practices as defined by the ABA and other responsible groups--but of human decency and of environmental laws. You folks who like speed may tear down the highway as fast as you please, but if in your zeal to add birds to your list you perform a single act that harasses or harms a single bird, or if you do violence to their surroundings in any way, you are nothing but a criminal, and the birding community ought to turn you in to the authorities, condemn your actions utterly, and do everything possible to ensure that this kind of activity is stopped. If you are insulted by these words, Good!! If you think this activity is somehow warranted by your desire for more excitement, you are wrong! If you want excitement, go skydiving or snorkeling with sharks or join the Army. But if you want to go birding, do it within the limits of decent, ethical human behavior. And--for those of you who still have trouble reading--the Big Day falls within those limits when done to conform with establish rules.

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
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.7.3 - Release Date: 2005.03.15

_______________________________________________
Tweeters mailing list
Tweeters at u.washington.edu
http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters