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December 2014

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From:
Haans Petruschke <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Haans Petruschke <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 2 Dec 2014 19:18:48 -0500
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The "good old days" were not so good.  The bad behavior went in a different
direction. Very difficult to be admitted into the privileged group who got
called when there was a rare bird. I can relate the story of Ohio's 2nd
Ross's gull to the group and how I was at HBSP and the people watching the
gull saw me,(I did not see them) recognized me, but no one had called me
(the days of land lines) and no one came over to tell me about the bird
 Need I mention Ohio's first Calliope Hummingbird in Portsmouth? And why
that bird was only seen by a few people.

The difference today it there are a lot more people involved in this
activity and as a result a larger range of behaviors. Mostly people being
the way people are.

I think the common thread I have seen in this discussion is in the old days
people learned appropriate behavior on organized bird walks. Today those
walks still exist but attendance is a fraction of what it once was, so
there is no socialization process for birder to learn through.

So it is up to us as individuals to do the socialization that was once done
in a group.  That can be difficult and takes some minerals so to speak.

Haans




On Tue, Dec 2, 2014 at 6:46 PM, Jon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> There is a lot of interesting stuff here being discussed.  First off, I
> would like to say that I had 26 species today on my old reliable walk of
> the Beaver Marsh in the CVNP.  The highlight being a Yellow-bellied
> Sapsucker.
>
> I find it fascinating just how much of an undercurrent of dislike for
> human beings runs through so much of these conversations.  I do not think
> that I have ever been around a group of people who so clearly did not like
> people, at least the ones that they can label easily.  It’s funny, while I
> am generally introverted and prefer to spend time alone on the trail, I
> have to say that it has been through birding that I have met some of the
> nicest, most compassionate, and intelligent people up to this point in the
> 47 years of my life.  Kind people have shared their time and their
> knowledge with me.  I have been invited into the homes of people I did not
> know and their families.  I have ridden in cars with total strangers.  Not
> once did I feel unsafe or awkward.  Yet, time and time again I see people
> lamenting people.  It’s remarkable how we can choose to frame each other.
> I strive to not do so, but probably fail as often as I succeed...I’m trying.
>
> Also, I would be the last person on earth you’ll see evoking any kind of
> nationalism or much in the way of patriotic sentiment.  I am thankful to
> live a relatively peaceful happy life in the USA, but I know that we are
> not what some would paint us as being some kind of shining light unto the
> world.  That said, does anyone really believe that Americans have the
> market cornered on seeing the natural world and it’s inhabitants as a
> commodity?  Do we have street markets selling ivory or tiger blood?  Do we
> have open markets for rare and endangered animals operating in the light of
> day?  This is utterly ridiculous and I think it is important to call it for
> what it is:  nonsense.  If you want to detach economics from social
> behavior, you’d better start choosing candidates who are not on the ballots
> folks!
>
> Finally, yes, eBird does create a bit of a competitive atmosphere.  Human
> beings are competitive animals.  We are very good at it and it can take a
> life’s work to detach from such striving, if that is how one is inclined.
> But eBird is also a tool and a very good tool at that.  I’d like to think
> that I am using a lot less paper because of it.  Maybe birding does create
> a bit of a cult of personality, but when in human history have we been free
> from such trappings?  Again, I have met some really wonderful birders whose
> names I recognized from reports seen here, on eBird on on social media.
> It’s nice to connect a face with a name, but anyone who would try to raise
> an individual to the status of some birding God is making the all too human
> mistake of believing that people are anything more than simply human…flawed
> and striving to grow.
>
> Maybe I am just naive and so new to this that I cannot see the forest for
> the trees, but it sure seems like what is happening, besides a bit of
> occasional bad behavior by photographers and birders alike, is a lot of
> pining for the good old days when things were ___________ and
> _____________.  You can fill in your nostalgia at will.  What is more of an
> offense to this world?  To share or to covet and hoard?  I may be new at
> this, but there is no greater thrill than to share a sighting with someone
> out there in the field.
>
> Many eons from now, everything around us will be but a layer in the
> sediment that we tread upon as someone walks the path to find the next
> bird, and the squabbles of some enthusiastic birders will be
> insignificant.  Enjoy the time you have with the wonderful people around
> you and enjoy the birds.  Advocate for positive change.  Mentor someone
> new.  Never stop learning.  Do what Gandhi and King did and be the change
> you want to see in the world.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Jon Cefus
> Cuyahoga Falls
>
> On Dec 2, 2014, at 5:29 PM, Haans Petruschke <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> "it seems normal to regard birds as a commodity,because that is how
> Americans see things.
> ​"​
>
> This is perfect Bill.  And birders are seen as potential customers or
> donors, and so uninhibited growth in the sport/hobby is seen as good, and
> any sort of admonishment or criticism is bad because it might discourage
> people or turn them away.
>
> Of course the tired old SeaWorld argument gets dragged out time and again.
> I.e.It creates awareness and then people care, etc.  But that does not
> hold
> up to scrutiny in terms of real action taken by the community of birding
> enthusiasts.
>
> Haans
>
> On Tue, Dec 2, 2014 at 5:07 PM, Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> I felt alienated from this discussion until I read the comments of Ken
> Archambault and Allen Chartier. They remind me of a better day. Today's
> numerical accumulations of projects like eBird are fine as far as they
> go---but who really cares about the names of all the observers for any
> record? Seems we are counting the birders rather than the birds. And the
> eBird folks, who I am persuaded are interested only in science, still
> encourage observers to compete. Photographs become trophies more than
> documentation. How many photos do we need? Birds, even though we know
> what they look like, fly away, but our many many photos remain. And they
> are seen as more real, a commodity. Rare birds become news today mostly
> because of the stampedes they cause among birders. It is really all
> about us, and this is an obsession that's growing.
>       In such an atmosphere, it seems normal to regard birds as a
> commodity,
> because that is how Americans see things. Birds are undeniably things,
> but they are living animals, existing beyond the values too many of us
> ascribe to them. They are aware of us as we are of them, and way beyond
> our selfish preoccupations. This freedom, it seems to me, is something
> we humans value--even if in our weakness we seek to deny it--and I think
> it is at the heart of what we do as birders, even when we may be led
> astray by other concerns.
> Bill Whan
> Columbus
>
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