Comments on: How do you tell when a bird is really extinct? https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/ Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:08:35 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 By: bursa haber https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543290 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:08:35 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543290 …I thought we rediscovered the ivory billed woodpecker in 2004?

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543289 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:43:53 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543289 Birding IS scientifically important, and it is TRUE that we birders are way worse than Trekkies. (Although I should point out that many trekkies are birders.)

And every species matters but it is true that a “save the species” oriented attitued is almost as annoying at the suburban “I recycle therefore I can drive my three SUV”s” attitude. But most birders are more sophisticated than that.

]]> By: travc https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543288 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:30:45 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543288 Jesse,
You’re right that my personal aversion doesn’t have much to do with it. However, a big part of that annoyance does… They often cause real problems with communicating important issues to the general public. A public which doesn’t *get* the near orgasmic reaction some people have to spotting an obscure bird which looks and acts almost identically to a half-dozen common bird species. More importantly, the public doesn’t generally think that saving an individual species is worth significant cost.

Birders tend to make pretty bad spokespeople for conservation issues.

PS: I do like most of the birders I know well enough… in small doses. Works well since I tend to grate on folks with long duration exposure.

]]> By: Jesse Ellis https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543287 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:30:09 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543287 Travc-

What’s your problem? And what does your personal opinion of birders (or the IBWO) have anything to do with the recovery of “extinct” species? Birding may not be scientifically important, but it has an economic impact on conservation that other sports (or “obsessions”) don’t. The loss of individual species isn’t important, except that whole ecosystems are built up of individual species. There’s a tree on Mauritius that can’t germinate because the Dutch ate the dodo. One species.

This is in part a taxonomic issue (for the crazy birdnerds out there), but it’s an ecological one as well, and that’s what you should be concerned about.

]]> By: bursa haber https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543286 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:37:08 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543286 Very nice Birds i love this page thanks

]]> By: Jim Thomerson https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543285 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:32:01 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543285 Kind of a side note. In the late 1980’s we did a study of the northern studfish in Indiana. It is listed as a species of special concern. Historical records were a few individuals from maybe a half dozen localities. We found it widespread and numerous. However, it was not present at any of the historical localities because of present day lack of suitable habitat.

I guess the point is to look at historical record localities, then go look for the right kind of habitat elsewhere.

]]> By: Monado, FCD https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543284 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:38:22 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543284 Very good point! I’m seeing fewer and fewer birds of all kinds, even sparrows, pigeons, and starlings, but there’s nothing in the news about it.

I guess, “Guys… the boat’s sinking” is old news.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543283 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:13:17 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543283 I don’t think everyone is convinced that the IBW was actually rediscovered.

]]> By: PoxyHowzes https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543282 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:09:13 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543282 Doesn’t the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, for example, consider Humans to be extinct?

Just sayin’

]]> By: Spiv https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543281 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:51:49 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/27/how-do-you-tell-when-a-bird-is/#comment-543281 …I thought we rediscovered the ivory billed woodpecker in 2004?

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