Greetings VAbirders,
My interest in and love for birds started when I was in my teens. Over the
years I came to the decision that as an individual, the best way for me to
help them was to try and create more good habitat for them. Researching
the subject I learned that using native plants was preferable whenever
possible. Being clueless about native plants and wanting to learn, I ended
up working in the propagation beds of the Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia
Native Plant Society (VNPS.) I worked most Saturdays for 4 years until
family obligations called me away. The hands on learning I received from
the veteran native plant folks there was a wonderful, priceless gift.
I continue as a wildlife gardener in my own yard and encourage others to do
the same by offering advice and extra plants. The Monticello Park incident
may have shocked most of you witnessing it, but look at it as an awakening
about how much we all have to learn, as well as how we should work together
to make the little bit of habitat that is left the best it can be for "our"
birds. I encourage all birders to learn more about the subject of
creating/restoring habitat. And if you can find the time, volunteer to
help in the endeavour.
Thanks to Marianne Mooney for her note on the subject. Right on Marianne!
And sorry for the forward, but I thought the following post from Wash.
State Tweeter list relevant to the topic. And considering it was written
by a young birder, a ray of hope for the future of "our"
birds.
Lori Markoff
Vienna
Fairfax County
canyon.eagle@xxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 2 May 2003 07:49:21 -0700
From: Dennis Paulson <dpaulson@xxxxxxx>
To: tweeters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Fwd: [BIRDING-AUS] Beginning Birding
X-Sender: dpaulson@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Some thoughts from a young birder:
I've found birding to be a very wholistic process to learn about the
environment, environmental issues, and how subtle and volatile
eco-systems can be. Before i began birding, i knew very little about
native vegitation, with most trees simply being labeled as gums or
wattles. I had trouble distinguising between a wetland and a dam, often
thinking "there's water.... why isn't there any ducks?" Happily, i'm
slowly learning about the subtlies that support wildlife and its
diversity. But i think its up to the elders in society to lead the way,
and pave the way to the path of environmental wisdom.
I believe that if some type of birding course was administered into the
australian education system, the whole of Australia would experience
widespread benefits from it. This extends from environmental awareness
and conservation, to a greater feeling of belonging and harmony within
our surrounding environment.
You can definently see the damage that the 'longing' for mother europe
and other continents, has caused to the Australian environment. There
was a need to sit under an old pine with the sounds of starlings and
sparrows echoing around, with a clear view of open rolling green hills.
This has decimated the Australian environment, thereby reducing the
wildlife that lived with in it. And i think that longing is still
widespread, and most of the Australian population still can't percieve
the benefits of native species. I've talked to people that think that no
Australian native plant can provide a nice shady tree to sit under on a
hot sunny day, others that think there are no good Australian native wind
breaks!
We need education! But to be really educated, we need emersion in the
environment, and personal experiences of nature....not just facts!
This is why i think birding is so great. It gets you out and about and
within the real Australia. Its starts with birds, but then you start
seeing what birds eat and you learn about the plants and insects and
fish, and how these food sources are sustained and the cycles they go
through. ....Maybe we will even learn something about ourselves in the
process?
Peter
