Hi all,
Also FYI see http://www.theage.com.au/national/council-bars-birdwatchers-20100817-128jx.html
I’m heading to Alice Springs on the weekend of August 28.
Cheers,
Tim Dolby
Council Bars Birdwatchers Lindsay Murdoch The Age, August 18, 2010
BIRDWATCHERS have been prevented from travelling into the desert west of Alice Springs to see a freak explosion of the princess parrot, one of Australia’s rarest, most enigmatic and elegant birds.
The Central Land Council, which represents Aboriginal groups, has refused to issue travel permits to dozens of birdwatchers who travelled to Alice Springs after the birds were discovered near Mount Winter in the eastern Gibson Desert late last month.
About eight other groups of birdwatchers, known as ”twitchers”, are believed to have gone to the area without permits and face possible convictions and fines of up to $1000 for illegally entering Aboriginal land.
After a bumper season in central Australia, the population of the parrots exploded in what birdwatchers say is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The nomadic parrots, expected to mysteriously disappear as they arrived, were commonly seen around Alice Springs 50 years ago but their numbers have declined dramatically, possibly as a result of collection for the pet trade and the increased numbers of fires.
The long, slender birds with mostly green plumage, pink throat, bluish crown and bright green shoulders are classified as vulnerable because they are at risk of extinction in the wild.
Tasmanian couple Ian and Pat May discovered the parrots in an isolated area several hundred kilometres west of Alice Springs. Their announcement excited birdwatching enthusiasts across the country.
The Central Land Council, pointing to the fragility of the area’s environment, warned that ”visitors blindly walking around sacred sites and possibly accidentally damaging them can cause great offence and hurt to traditional owners”.
The council said it was open to discussing a ”manageable process” for birdwatchers to enter the area but no talks had taken place.
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Dear all,
I’ve been a grey nomad, with a conscientious attitude towards the environment. But I have seen enough evidence of those who could not give a tinker’s cuss for the environment and leave their rubbish and excrement wherever “their caravan has rested!” It takes a deliberate effort to place a dirty disposable nappy propped against Poeppel’s Peg, don’t you think?
I can therefore sympathise wholeheartedly with landowners who refuse entry of any tourists (birders included).
Shirley Cook Secretary/Treasurer Birds Australia (Northern NSW)
I would think that it is part of the great Australian tradition of traversing the Wallaby Track to set up camp anywhere you can get away with it. This is particularly the case during the grey nomad migration season where you will find caravans parked in a great variety of situations. I suspect that physical access difficulty is the main barrier to camping trespass.
Regards, Laurie.
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Alan,
So, if Lindsay Murdoch from the Age could clarify this, it would be great to clear that up.
Personally, I was generally happy with the article except for that one line – since I am a birder and I feel a little annoyed at being labeled a trespasser. If there was evidence that 8 groups have trespassed, then so be it. If this isn’t the case, then it is unfortunate, particularly as the birding community appears to have largely accepted the CLC’s decision and is acting with full respect to the traditional owners’ wishes. The only failure, to start with, was uncertainty about the permitting process – but the CLC were swift to clear this up and are to be commended for their quick and honest assistance.
Unless the Age was acting on advice that 8 groups had actually trespassed, what it has done, is condemned birders, who let’s face it, are just watching birds. There is nothing particularly sinister about that – the issue is trespassing. Whether or not birders could be implicated in any trespass is a personal matter that really has nothing to do with birders as a whole. Birders are not bikey gangs … they are just individuals out looking at wildlife. There is no representing force, collaboration or coordination behind their activities – aside from a few discussions on birding-aus, but then you could label grey nomads, four wheel-drivers and anyone else for similar misdemeanours if that were the case. This is a fact seemingly overlooked in the article.
If people trespass, they do so because they themselves have chosen to. So whether there is or is not evidence of trespass, I do believe that some readers of the Age, perhaps, could be left with the impression that birding is a sort of organised crime, where we all intend to trespass and no matter what happens, will do everything we can to secure that ‘tick’ – which of course is absolutely hilarious….as anyone knows, who has tried to organise large groups of birders to do anything in close to a coordinated way ; )
Regards,
Simon.
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Over the past couple of weeks, I noticed that there were many e-mails posted on birding-aus from people who were planning to go searching for Princess Parrots. It’s interesting that none of them have posted anything subsequently about the outcomes of their plans. Perhaps they all have dipped, and are embarrassed about it? Or, perhaps they don’t want to put down in writing anything that suggests they may have trespassed?
Alan Stuart
Yes, good point John.
Like a lot of other, I’d booked my ticket prior to the refusal of permits. I had thought about changing my plans, but as Simon Mustoe points out, given the currently conditions in the Red Centre I can’t wait to get there.
I’m also thinking that by the time I get there, assuming a logical nomadic Princess Parrot movement east, I’ll be kicking them out of the way in down town Alice, or at least Watarrka National Park! 😉 We can only hope.
That being said (on a somewhat more serious note) I put my full support behind the traditional owners of the Mereenie Mt Winter area right to refuse permission to their land. As has been stated previously, there has been a long history of abuse of trust by white people against aboriginal people – they have fought long and hard to have rights over their traditional country. I am also aware that the council has said it is open to discussing a manageable process for people (which includes birders) to enter the area once things have settled down, in accordance with standard entry permit procedures.
I also think that the influx of several hundred birders in to an area would be enough to scare off any landholder. For example the most birders I’ll allow in my place at any one time is five (maybe six, or seven). Anymore and my family has told me that they’ll move out.
Cheers,
Tim
Hi,
I am looking forward to going up. Like Tim perhaps, I want to see the country for myself. It’ll be beautiful and amazing whatever happens.
It could be a long shot … maybe I am mistaken … but something tells me … we’ve a better chance of seeing them by going there and looking than we have sitting in front of computers speculating … and the weather will be better than bloody freezing Melbourne!!
FOR THE LOVE OF BIRDING – “It is better to looked and dipped than to have never looked at all”.
Simon.
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Tim, I am surprised that you are considering still going to Alice Springs given what the Age (accurately) reported. As far as I am aware, you cannot enter any of the aboriginal lands where the parrots have been reported. I spoke to a ranger in the Watarrka National Park yesterday, and asked if there had been any sightings in the northwest of the park, the only northern area accessible by road. He said no, and that he himself had been there last week and had not seen any Princess Parrots
Dr John Penhallurick 86 Bingley Cres Fraser A.C.T. 2615 Australia email:jpenhall@bigpond.net.au Phone: Home (612) 62585428 Mobile:0408585426 Please visit my website: http://www.worldbirdinfo.net