rising@utzoo.uucp (Jim Rising) (01/04/88)
What is the nature of your concern about scientific collecting of birds?
Is it (1) esthetic or (2) motivated by a concern for conservation of
wildlife?
If it is the latter, there is no cause for alarm. Almost all bird species
are limited in abundance by the amount of habitat (food, nest sites, etc.)
available to them. Really good long-term studies have shown time and again
that "density independent mortality" (such as scientific collecting would be)
has no effect on abundance. An increase in DIM is compensated for by a
decrease in density dependent mortality (starvation; lack of nest site;
competition).
Of course, in some cases it would be possible to collect at such a level
as to endanger a species or population, but in North America and northern
Europe scientific collecting is so tightly controlled that that could not
happen. I think, incidentally, that even if it weren't controlled, that
it would not happen because the scientists that are involved are also con-
cerned about conservation and simply would not over collect even if they
were not regulated. Historically that was not always the case (there were
professional collectors who made a living collecting birds, and the
rarer the bird the higher the price), but it certainly is so today.
The reason that people still do collect birds is that it is absolutely
necessary to obtain additional material for many kinds of studies.
Although there are thousands of prepared specimens in museums, there
are practically never enough for specific systematic studies.
Whether or not all of these studies are important could be a matter of
debate, but in general they probably are.
For several reasons, a person with a weak research proposal would have
difficulty doing work. (1) Most research these days is funded by an
outside agency (in US commonly NSF or NIH; in Canada NSERC). It is
difficult to get research funding. It requires (a) an academic/museum
appointment, and (b) a proposal that is rigorously assessed by peers.
(2) Permits are not easy to get. Federal and state/provincial wildlife
agencies screen these, and the proposals; these often require letters
of reference and they consult local wildlife experts.
Esthetic objections are serious, and need to be considered--even though
most fall outside the realm of science. In the past, for example, people
often collected specimens of birds that were way out of range. There
are two justifiable reasons for doing this, (1) to document without
doubt the identity of the bird, and (2) ascertain "what kinds of birds
get lost," etc.
Today, with good optics and books, it is probably not generally necessary
to collect for the former reason, though the validity of "good sight
records" varies greatly. How could one misidentify an adult Scissor-
tailed Flycatcher--seen by several people? On the other hand, a fall
record of an Acadian Flycatcher may not be convincing. Etc. Often
it is necessary to collect in order to learn about (2). [What we learn
is that it is often young birds that are lost; and sick ones that are
overwintering.]
I personally am opposed, in most cases, to collecting simply to establish
identity for several reasons: (a) birdwatching is an increasingly popular
hobby, and one thing that many love to do is to "twitch" an unusual
species. To collect the bird deprives many of that pleasure, just as
throwing a beer can into Lake Louise destroys the view. (b) the identity
probably generally can be more or less ascertained--and who really cares,
anyway, if some of the records are spurious? (c) the scientists usually
do a poor job of answering question (2) above, anyway. They are, rather,
interested in a note entitled, "The first record of ..."
Although I have collected many birds, I never enjoy it, and can well under-
stand why others would not want to do it at all. Many feel about scientific
collecting as I do about the seal hunt (although the hunt has no scientific
value). I wouldn't want to take part in the hunt, but recognize that it is
important to many people, and offensive to others.
Does this address the question?
Concerning birding in the Everglades, I can't answer most of your questions,
but 15 January is probably too early to be getting the early northward
migration.
--Jim Rising
--
Name: Jim Rising
Mail: Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1
UUCP: {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!rising