Moffers cf. Birders

[Ron Gatrelle]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Thomas" <mothman at nbnet.nb.ca>
To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2002 9:33 AM
Subject: Moffers cf. Birders


snips

> Let's take a leaf from the birders and report more on species
distribution
> in time and space and less on MV vs. BL.
>
> Tony T.
>

I have not followed this thread as I do not do moths.  However when I saw
birders in the header I had to check it out.  I take it you are a birder,
and were such before you became interested in moths?  If so, are you a moth
collector or a moth watcher?   Are you saying take a page from the birders
and just watch the moths not collect them?   Lights are essential to moth
collecting - they are a big deal to real "moffers".

I think the number of posts on light-traps has been light. I am not even
interested in the thread and the number of posts has not bothered me.   I
have just deleted the few that came through.  It seems very odd to me that
a real moth guy would be objecting to this smattering of what is actually
pretty good info.  What irritates me is being subscribed to supposedly
butterfly list serves and having at least half the posts being totally
about, or containing large portions on,  birds.

I don't think lepidopterists have anything to learn from or emulate in
birders.  We have been doing fine in our own field for hundreds of years.
(I did not just say birding or birders are bad.  They are fine.  I am
saying we don't need them to teach us or be telling us all the time what we
lepsters need to be, or do, like them.)

Ron Gatrelle

PS.  If you are a die hard moth collector with thousands of specimens in
your collection, then this post does not apply to you and it should just be
considered an editorial to those to whom it may apply.



 
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