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Dear Fellow Birders:
Dennis Shirley has just posted a notice concerning the
upcoming UOS-sponsored field trip to search for White-tailed Ptarmigan on Sat.
Aug. 7 around Leidy Peak in the Uintas.
Dennis is one of the finest birders in Utah and I have great
respect for his expertise. But in this case I am concerned about the
method that he plans to use to help locate the birds, namely tracking
them with 2 Springer Spaniel hunting dogs. It is not stated whether these
dogs will be leashed. Regardless, I cannot help but
think that the passive and reclusive Ptarmigan will perceive these dogs as
highly threatening predators and be terrified.
Tracking with dogs is a technique used by hunters wishing to
kill birds for sport. It may also be employed by professional
biologists conducting wildlife research.
However, we amateur birders have a
different philosophical approach in that we strive to observe birds
with minimum disturbance and then leave them in peace to live their natural
lives.
I fully recognize that hunters provide the greatest part of
funding for conservation and have no wish to criticize their sport. But I do not
think that birders can justify using their methods to locate
birds.
I am sure others of you may have different viewponts on
this controversial issue and I encourage you to express them on BIRDTALK.
Before doing so, you may wish to review the American Birding Association's
PRINCIPLES OF BIRDING ETHICS (http://www.americanbirding.org/abaethics.htm)
and the regulations concerning pets in our national parks and wildlife refuges
(see, e.g. http://www.nps.gov/yell/planvisit/rules/petregs.htm).
Sincerely,
Jim McIntyre
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