Lunatic fringe "Anti-Birders" crawl out of their holes!!!

The lunatic fringe has made an appearance on the Wisconsin birding list, lead by people who should know better.

Here is one of the suggestions, made by somoene who masquerades as a birder regularly:

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"I suspect there's no way on earth birders would go along with it, but I personally believe that the "sport" of birding, with published lists that look like scores, should be limited to the American Birding Association, and that state ornithological societies should not be fostering competitive birding at all."

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Well, I don't usually spend my time telling other people to do things that I *know* they won't do, but I guess some people have more time on their hands than I do.

The moronic idea excerpted above is yet another example of why "Birding is NOT a crime!!!!" exists. There is a small minority -- a vocal minority, though -- of birders that seem to want to consistently tell other birders how to run their lives. Well, those Anti-Birders can kiss my ass. No one has a right to tell me what lists I should or shouldn't keep. No one has the right to tell me how much gas I should or shouldn't use on a birding trip. And, most importantly, no one has the right to complain to me about how I enjoy my life. I like birding. I think it's fun. And I do keep a few lists, but not as many as most hard-core listers. But NO ONE has a right to make me feel guilty about it.

There are so many real environmental tragedies out there in the world today...rain forests being levelled, oil spills, pollution, toxic waste...that I cannot fathom why anyone with the intelligence of a snail would think that the small number of really competitive birders (maybe a thousand or two in the entire U.S.?) makes any difference at all.

You can have my binoculars when you pry them out of my cold, dead figners.