Practices, Needs and Attitudes of Bird-watching Tourists in Australia

Abstract

The practices and opinions of bird-watching tourists in Australia were investigated, largely through a questionnaire returned by 256 respondents, of whom 164 were Australian by nationality, 55 were non-Australian and 17 were of mixed nationality. A majority of respondents tended to be middle-aged to elderly, which may reflect either the bird-watching population or the relative willingness to fill out questionnaires. A separate questionnaire was sent to 42 nature guides who included bird-watching as at least part of their activities: 11 of these responded. Bird-watching tourists participating in this survey were found to have a diverse range of interests, but opinions held in common included a dislike for hunting, an interest in wildlife other than birds, a disinclination to disturb nesting birds in an attempt to identify them, an expectation of bird-watching during their next travels, an ability to identify most birds near their homes, and a willingness to join a commercial bird tour to reach difficult places. Identifying birds, watching what birds are doing and enjoyment of social contact topped the list of preferences for a bird-walk. Tendency to join a commercial tour was positively correlated with enjoyments of social contact and with bird-watching being the respondent’s favourite activity, but negatively correlated with tendency to frequently photograph birds. Camping and hotels were the major kinds of accommodation (over eco-lodges and budget accommodation, ‘dedicated birders’ being more likely than others to choose camping and lodges rather than hotels. Travel agents were the least preferred sources of information on where to go bird-watching, with travel books not faring much better, and several respondents complained that information centres and tourist outlets (with some exceptions) often do not have much information on where to see birds. Most respondents seemed concerned about conservation issues such as disturbance of nesting birds and feeding in national parks, and guides reported few problems: however there is sufficient potential for problems to suggest the wide dissemination of useful guidelines. One-eighth of the respondents, when asked what would improve their bird-watching experiences in Australia, mentioned action on habitat clearing and other conservation issues.