The future

[FUDGEY]

As a kid I was an egg collecter, kept old nests, feathers and even had dead birds in the freezer. I got up to alsorts that will be frowned upon at best these days. Taking a Jackdaw chick out of a nest was a yearly occurence that never worked. I was you g and naive at the time, but most of my friends were doing the same thing. The point of this thread is do you think that now the majority of kids of today don't have any interest in doing such things that it will have a negative impact for the future? It was a friend that brought this up and made me think. I think a lot of the older generation of today who are doing a sterling job in various wildlife posts probably started the same way as I did. I think there will be a long term effect.

[FUDGEY]

My mate is very intelligent, here are his thoughts about his antics in his early years explained better than mine
"If there's something to be taken from it then I have been left with a lifelong love and respect of wild animals. I honestly believe that the egg collecting gave any lad a grounding in the various bird species. Many of those same kids grew into the front line conservationists that now protect that wildlife and those birds.

The kids nowawdays would not be remotely interested in getting scratched beyond belief and falling out of trees in order to nab a bird's egg. While that may be good news for the birds in the short term I honestly do wonder where the concern for those birds will come in the future. I talk to mate's kids and they're hard pressed to identify a sparrow. If you have no knowledge of something you're hardly likely to worry about its demise.xe xe

[ChrisJB]

I started in a very similar fashion Fudgey, going 'bird's neestin' (as the older end called egg-collecting when I was a lad), unsuccessfully trying to rear a magpie chick, gathering caterpillars, getting frogspawn and chasing butterflies (I still remember leaping on the first painted lady I ever saw, like a pouncing cat, but unfortunately I flattened it in the process. I was so guilt-ridden, I buried it and made a headstone out of a lolly stick ) in the hill-fields.
Whilst some of my antics were obviously undesirable, they were part of my 'way in' and I do wonder how young uns today find their way into the countryside and natural history.

Regards, Chris

[david156]

Kids probably won't collect eggs today cos it means leaving facebook and bebo at home with their nintendo and xbox. I agree with you and think it will have an affect on the future. Everything seems to be computor or tv orientated today and its only with sites like this and programmes like autumn watch, that some kids are introduced to nature. My little one loved sitting up with daddy and watching springwatch, but autumnwatch is on too late for her.

[Rich_]

Used to have a decent colection of eggs too.The way many species are in decline now it is clear that bird nesting was not a major threat. As you say many kids wouldn't be able to identify the commonest birds now and probably don't know they lay eggs!

A friend of ours who's a teacher had a class of kids one day and was amazed that none of them could even identify a single wild flower , not even a daisy or a buttercup.

[poohbear]

I, like thousands of other kids used to collect birds eggs, and there were many more birds and nests than there are now.Farming techniques and loss of habitat (Allotments,ponds,meadows)are responsible for diminishing numbers of once common species..not a few kids pinching birds eggs.

My fascination for wildlife gave me a lifelong interest in the world about me.And I'm sure I've amply repaid my early egg thieving days by participating in many wildlife projects over the years.

Kids nowadays don't know what they are missing...and the majority of parents and teachers have no interest in the subject to encourage them.Asking most youngsters to identify a bird or type of tree is just asking for a blank stare and a shrug of the shoulders at best.

Still...they've got their games and porn on the PCs to keep them occupied.

[2dogs2000]

I am doing a forest course and I wanted some oak leaves for a display. Out of 12 children only one thought he knew what an oak leaf looked like. I was surprised as I thought oak leaves and horse chestnut leaves were recognised by everyone.

[tombom]

God forbid people interested in wildlife don't take eggs from nests! What horrid evidence of the moral decline of today's generation.

I imagine they'd gain an interest in wildlife through observing it and stuff, rather than taking eggs. Whatever your opinion on computers and everything, I doubt that birdwatching has a much different % of the population interested in it now compared to 30 years ago or so.

I am doing a forest course and I wanted some oak leaves for a display. Out of 12 children only one thought he knew what an oak leaf looked like. I was surprised as I thought oak leaves and horse chestnut leaves were recognised by everyone.

Kind of interested in what sort of area the children came from.

[Amoeba]

I agree with tombom.

This elitist "back in the day" attitude is making my skin crawl, especially the glorification of childhood nest raiding. So what if not many kids don't take birds eggs today, it's still a good thing, it's not like it's impossible for them to learn by other means.

Perhaps it is over-protective parents who deny their children experiences, guidance and knowledge who are a threat to the future - children can be taught about wildlife in various ways, it's up to the parents to guide their children down the right path. It's often the kind of over-protective but neglectful (oxymoron I know, protect them from everything, teach them nothing) parents who feel it is safer their children interact with machines rather than risk the possibility of picking up germs from outdoors.

From the age I was able to play outside unattended I knew it was wrong to raid nests. It didn't damage my development or enthusiasm for wildlife in any way, it strengthened it.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Amoeba

So what if not many kids don't take birds eggs today, it's still a good thing, it's not like it's impossible for them to learn by other means.


From the age I was able to play outside unattended I knew it was wrong to raid nests. It didn't damage my development or enthusiasm for wildlife in any way, it strengthened it.

I agree - i grew up in the countryside and never once raided a nest for eggs, as i was taught from an early age that it was wrong - and i went on to follow a career in conservation (I'm 36 so we arent talking that long ago)

mind you i still had a collection of skulls, feathers, bones etc (found) , and used to go on long walks in the country with my parents

I dont think there is any need to worry about the future - look at the young members on here - there will always be kids who are interested in wildlife and those who arent , back in the day while fudgey et al were shinning up trees i bet there were other kids who evinced no interest in the countryside but spent their time collecting engine numbers, stamps, football cards, or possibly war souveneirs (depending on exactly how long ago we are talking about)

[Ukwildlifeo]

Its a bit harsh to suggest because kids arn't busy helping the decline in bird species by collecting their eggs and failing to raise their chicks it means things are going down hill in the long run.
In defense of todays children, a lot live in cities without gardens and don't have the luxury of places to see much wildlife and most the infants and junior school kids are pretty fastinated and some times over excited by crickets and pond skaters etc when they get the chance to see them, but they also know not to hurt them - of course clumsy little hands sometimes cause a few casualties, but few are actively trying to kill them. When I was at school we all all knew to not disturb birds nests, let alone take eggs, as well as not dropping litter, recycling and things like that, so in many ways we were better educated when it came to preserving the environment.

Plus another thing to consider is a lot of peoples life long love of wildlife doesnt actually start till adulthood, so even if the kids are too busy trying to be cool now, there is more hope for the future.

[FUDGEY]

Well I am no way advocating we go back to the old ways where many did collect birds eggs. The point I was making about myself is I know I wouldnt have been interested in nature if it wasnt for those exciting times collecting eggs when I was younger. As I said I collected plenty of things, feathers, dead birds, old nests etc, but it was the egging that kept me stimulated (30 plus years ago) back then. If it wasnt for that I would have probably lost interest in a couple of years. I am not saying its right, just that its not as bad a thing as most people think and by the previous posts its obvious a lot more on here started the exact same way as me.

[FUDGEY]

re kids nowadays, the majority are little rascals where I come from and Id much prefer they were rummaging in the woods rather than hanging about street corners making a nuisance of themselves.

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by FUDGEY

I am not saying its right, just that its not as bad a thing as most people think and by the previous posts its obvious a lot more on here started the exact same way as me.

I think I understand what you are trying to say in this thread FUDGEY, but whether you were aware of it or not, by taking those eggs you were in fact breaking the law, even 30 years ago.

At that time (i.e. the early 1970's?) the appropriate legislation would have been the The Protection of Birds Acts 1954-1967. Now of course, the taking of wild bird eggs is covered by the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981).

That aside, I can understand why you might think that youngsters of today do not perhaps have or take the same opportunities to roam and to discover nature in the way we might have done in our youth (I'm probably a good bit older than you) the world now being a different place, but then again, what would I not have given to have had the internet back in the early 60's for access to more information about the wildlife we discovered, instead of having to wait for the mobile library to come around once a fortnight?

But even in my youth, and athough we shared the same environment & schooling, many of my mates were much more interested in football or rock music than they were in wildlife or the countryside, so nothing much has really changed, except that 'wildlife' has become much more popularised by the media, so that a much wider section of society is now actively engaged in some way or another.

[Kayleigh]

Yes I too took the odd blackbird egg from the nest but only the one..
It was a different era in those days and not illegal we would go and catch newts and frogs and bring them home in a bucket the next day they were gone escaped..
But my kids never did any of that I built a pond in the garden and my teenage son was fascinated he would sit for hours peering into the water and pond dip he has a healthy out look on wildlife so the kids of today do not need go "nesting" just simple guidance in the right direction.

[FUDGEY]

I started as a 6yr old and I dont think I really knew what breaking the law meant at that age. My grandpa did though, but he was old school and its understandable to see why he didnt think it was a bad thing. Even if a kid these days were to get caught taking an egg what would they get? told off at best. I robbed 100 plus eggs out of my local museum as a youngster and got caught because I signed the visitors book two policemen came round to the house and got them back and only got a telling off. Hardly the crime of the century, but I did get it from my mother. I wont encourage my kids to take eggs, but I will teach them about wildlife, I just think that (how ever wrong it may be) their interest would last a lot longer if i were to let them have a collection. Dont panic I never will its just what I think. It certainly worked for me.

[Gracie]

I never took eggs, I got interested just by seeing stuff and always saying to myself "wonder what that is" so I found out, but it took years, I did what I could to encourage my two daughters, they enjoyed their days out, but neither of them are interested now, my grandchildren come with me on walks and look at stuff, but I don't know if they will develop an interest in later years but I try and give them a start that they may sometime go back to. But my point is, each person has their own time for starting something, a lot of eggers become bird watcher, a lot of big game hunters become conservationist, and a lot of folk who did neither still become interested and do it for a hobby, its not this that or the other, its people who are all different, I live in hopes that more of the young ones in the future will realise that nature needs a helping hand, or we and this world have had it.

[ChrisJB]

Crivvens. This has got a bit lively . I was a mad keen fisherman too in my carefree days of childhood, another hobby that contributed my all round interest and got me out of the house and away from the horrors of the 'cyclops'. That waned a trifle with age as other distractions took over, but am happy to report, recent holidays up Scotland have seen me casting a line again.
As well, there was the quaint, folksy pastime, what we called 'playing out' that I found most enjoyable.

Regards, Chris

[loripo]

Originally Posted by Gracie

a lot of big game hunters become conservationist

I've just bought a copy of 'The art of Peter Scott' and there is a self portrait of him dated 1933 which he later hated because he had shown himself with a gun. Attitudes have changed hopefully for the better. We now have access to information and film/video at home that wasnt available 50 years ago. "playing out" was good wasnt it - even in a city, because we took ourselves off to park or common. We even went swimming in the Thames
Schools do have bits in the curriculum on habitats, plant growth etc, but they are in limited chunks and there is no time given to develop interest and ideas.