BIRD WATCHERS tend to be stereotyped with a ‘trainspotter’ mentality and are assumed to be lovers of a minority sport.
Yet in many countries ‘minority’ is certainly not the correct word to describe the numbers involved. In the UK, more than one million people belong to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – the BirdLife International partner there. This number represents a figure of more than the combined membership of the three largest UK political parties. Between the mid 1980s and mid 1990s, bird watching in the US showed a growth in the numbers involved of 155 per cent. There are 40,000 members of ‘Forest and Bird’ in New Zealand, while BirdLife Malta – operating in a country with many similar conservation and bird-related issues to Cyprus – has more than 3,000 members from a total population of 378,000.
Birdwatchers usually observe wild birds in their natural habitat. From these observations they learn to identify birds, interpret and understand their behaviour. Birdwatching can be done virtually anywhere – after all even your own back garden is a natural habitat. It is also something that people of all ages can do and once interested something you will do for the rest of your life.
As birds are around us wherever we are it is something that can be done without any particular effort or expense. In fact my usual morning walk one day this week – not far from the centre of Nicosia – brought to light two species of shrike, a male and female golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus), a spotted flycatcher (Muscicpapa striata), and 40 migrating bee eaters (Merops apiaster) making a lot of noise as they flew overhead. The purpose of the walk was actually to get fit but taking note of the birds around me made the chore of trying to get rid of those extra kilos more enjoyable! There are those that also claim that bird watching is the new socially acceptable form of hunting or egg-collecting. The thrill of the chase as it were and collection of new species to add to one’s list without the bloodshed or breaking of the law!
Yet, as well as being an enjoyable hobby, bird watching plays a considerable role in nature conservation in general. Most bird watching societies now state that their aim is to protect bird species and their environment/habitats. After all, there will be no birds to enjoy if their habitat is destroyed. Those with many members also have considerable lobbying clout in the political sphere. Most of what the science of ornithology knows about birds comes from the contributions of ordinary dedicated bird watchers.
Likewise, it is often the records of their observations that bring to light problems with bird populations which frequently then highlight problems in the environment in general and the subsequent need for strong conservation measures. Examples include the plight of farmland birds such as the common skylark (Alauda arvensis), which has greatly reduced populations in Europe due to the measures encouraged by the Common Agricultural Policy, and that of the effect of the pesticide DDT on the bird of prey populations in the 1960s.
The records and observations of bird watchers are showing that global warning is causing the earlier onset of spring as the migrants arrive in their breeding grounds earlier than they used to. In 2004 and 2005 the populations of sand eels have failed to hatch in the same numbers as before off the coast of the UK causing entire sea bird colonies to be at risk there as they do not have a ready food supply for their young. This is felt to be yet another symptom of global warming and again ornithologists are bringing it to light. Likewise, however, a good bird population can indicate a healthy environment.
Birds are easy to study as species are easily identified and detected, so large amounts of information can be reliably gathered from both scientists and the public alike. As birds are well known organisms whose biology, ecology and behaviour have been studied intensively, there is already a strong foundation on which to base questions, form hypotheses and reach solutions. Birds are usually high in the food chain and many species live a long time. This means that they can accumulate environmental stresses over many years. Bird populations and communities, and their behaviour and reproductive success usually closely reflect the stability of an ecosystem. Long-term monitoring programmes initiated by national ornithological societies and academic institutions help to reveal declines in species’ ranges as a result of human-induced causes.
Bird watching can thus be both enjoyable and useful. Even a bird watcher whose only interest is in ticking off new species – the infamous ‘twitcher’ – cannot fail to be concerned about the conservation of bird habitats or else will have nowhere to go to add to life’s list of birds. Finally, we should remember that a good environment for the birds is likely to be a healthy environment for man as well.
n If you want to know more about Cyprus’ birds or are interested in joining BirdLife Cyprus, contact P.O. Box 28076, 2090 Nicosia, telephone 22-455072 or e-mail [email protected]
