Birds and people : a symbiotic relationship in practice

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Butler, Richard William (2024) Birds and people : a symbiotic relationship in practice. Birds, 5 (2). pp. 328-340. ISSN 2673-6004 (https://doi.org/10.3390/birds5020021)

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Abstract

Simple Summary: The paper discusses the changing relationships between the human and avian populations on a small Scottish island, Fair Isle, following the establishment of a bird observatory on the island in 1948. The opening of the first observatory saw a significant increase in the number of birdwatchers visiting the island and interacting with the small resident population (50 people) and with the resident and migratory avian populations. Over the period since 1948, several versions of the Observatory have provided economic viability that has stabilised and increased the permanent human population and resulted in a positive relationship between both avian and human populations on the island. Part of the island has been made a Site of Special Scientific Interest, agricultural practices have been modified to accommodate resident and migratory birds, the Observatories have engaged in scientific research, and services for residents and visitors on the island have been greatly improved. The relationship between the human and avian populations can accurately be described as symbiotic because all populations have benefitted from the changes over the past six decades. Abstract: This Special Issue of Birds is focused on a number of ways in which people and birds interact with nature, and the example discussed here incorporates four of the seven relationships noted. These are: how birds and birding connect people with nature, the role of communities in the study and conservation of birds, the involvement of people with professional ornithologists, and citizens’ perception and knowledge of birds. The island of Fair Isle provides the location for the examination of these relationships, illustrating the positive interaction between the two human populations of the island and the two avian populations. It is based on fieldwork and literature studies conducted at intervals over a sixty-year period and a review of written and photographic evidence dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century. The purpose of the paper therefore, is to discuss how the relationships between the human and avian populations of the island have changed over time to a more positive and mutually dependent relationship, which is somewhat unique and can be described as symbiotic.

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