Birding in an Age of Extinctions
by Painter, Martin
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- ISBN 10
- 1849954879
- ISBN 13
- 9781849954877
- Seller
-
Arrington, Virginia, United States
3 Copies Available from This Seller
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Martin's experiences in becoming a birder late in life revealed some strange behaviour which he soon learnt to take for granted as a member of the birding community. Why tear off chasing the next tick when we were having such a good time in the forest we were already exploring? Why was seeing a rare parrot in a cage less significant than seeing a 'wild' one that was being hand-fed in a nature reserve? Why was he visiting all those rubbish tips and sewerage farms in search of birds when birding excursions to a forest or a natural wetland were so much more pleasing?
There are chapters about all of these puzzles and oddities, and more - their origins and, in some cases, how they shape our behaviour in somewhat perverse ways - on 'authentic' birding, the origins and importance of the life list, on rarities and trophy birds, and why the idea of a 'species' is elusive yet so important. All these tales and reflections are shaped by birding during an extinction crisis and the growing biodiversity crisis. As he observed trashed habitats and vanishing bird populations during his travels, Martin's growing dismay and alarm about these issues coloured everything. So he came to ponder what birders are doing in response, whether it is for good or harm.
There is the paradox of 'extinction birding' - it is not difficult today to see some vanishingly rare birds, because they are hanging on in reserved, fenced spaces, kept alive by artifices such as captive breeding. Because our visits to these places provide funds, we are also among these species' last hopes for survival. Is this the best we can do? More self-reflection among all birders is necessary. Faced with the growing crisis, we can all do better.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Buteo Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 15159
- Title
- Birding in an Age of Extinctions
- Author
- Painter, Martin
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- New New
- Quantity Available
- 3
- ISBN 10
- 1849954879
- ISBN 13
- 9781849954877
- Publisher
- Whittles Publishing
- Date Published
- 2021
- Keywords
- Conservation, Monitoring; Biography, Fiction, Humor
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