[TN-Bird] Science and our Fledgling
- From: kbreault <kbreault@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:59:42 -0700 (PDT)
Perhaps Vickie Henderson is right when she says science is the main issue with
our young Golden Eagle, but if that is true then in the name of science I would
suggest caution. I am not an ornithologist or zoologist but as a research
scientist I have spent a significant proportion of my career evaluating
(refereeing) science, and as it turns out as a new editor of a scientific
journal I will only be doing more of that work in the future. So the fact of
the
matter is that routinely books, papers, and applications for funding are turned
down because the putative science was found to be inadequate in some way. And
these our not the failures of amateurs like us birders but almost always people
with a Ph.D. after their names. I have even been involved in cases where
scientific fraud was discovered and people have been fired for various kinds of
misconduct. Science is not always what it may seem from those on the outside.
Now, while there seems to be little appetite in the case at hand for using
public money, let me suggest that one useful thing about public money is that
usually applications for grants are refereed by scientists in the relevant
field. Of course, that is no guarantee that the scientific product will be of
value (a great deal of funded science is just crap), but it is one safeguard
that importantly may not exist if we are talking about private money. Now, of
course in the case of private money individuals and organizations can make any
kind of funding decision they wish so my caution is that if birders are going
to
be solicited for money, legitimate authorities in the field (and that may not
include some eagle experts who may have an interest in the outcome of the
research, a well understood ethics issue), should come forward to discuss the
scientific value of the suggested project. If that is what Wallace was
suggesting I am all in favor of it. And indeed, I would be willing to
contribute
to the project under those conditions. However, having said that I must admit
to
being somewhat uncomfortable about this as I am just not convinced that
strapping a transmitter on one bird is likely to produce useful science in the
context of the abundantly clear evidence that TN is a rather long way from
viable breeding populations. But my mind is open.
But hold on. Are we really talking about science, or rather what kind of
science
are we talking about? First, if the idea is that the transmitter may discover
the location of a rare or singular nest and breeding pair, would not a more
economical (and exciting) method be to do what birders do best, i.e., go
birding? Okay, it may take some effort but we spent an enormous amount of time
looking for the Ivory-billed and many other birds. I'm sure some birders would
like to be the first to find the nest. No? Finally, let us just assume that
there is a nest and breeding pair of Golden Eagles or that someone or our
young Golden has with a transmitter found it. Beyond that bald (or golden)
description that a common, albeit TN rare bird is again breeding in the state,
what significant scientific question does that mere description answer? Perhaps
in the end we are not really talking about science or explanatory science at
all
but rather about a low level of scientific explanation best understood as,
well,
birding. To be sure, not the competitive birding of Big Days, Total Ticks or
Big
Years, but birding nevertheless. If that is the case, and in the absence of
significant scientific questions, I am even more strongly supportive of the
use of private funds and the use of any methodology birders have in their tool
kit (as long as it is ethical). If in the end the real excitement over the
eaglet is that birders are able to do or at least get a taste of some kind of
science and talk about it among themselves and on TN-bird, then the exercise
will have been rather useful, scientifically speaking. And, thankfully, we are
not discussing ESP, ghosts, telepathy, witchcraft, UFOs, miracles, angels or
politicians.
Kevin Breault
Brentwood, TN
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