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Bird-watching
鳥類觀察
All aflutter
群情激動
Britain's largest conservation society is ruffling feathers
英國最大的鳥類保護組織現在面臨著成員流失的危險。
ON January 24th and 25th around half a million people were expected to take part in the “big garden birdwatch”, an annual event run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Since 1979, when the event began, people have peered into their gardens to spot feathered creatures and log their sightings in a centralised database. But as well as looking out for wrens, collared doves and blackcaps, this year, for the second time, they are being encouraged to spot squirrels, badgers, deer and even worms.
一年一度的“大花園鳥類調查活動”今年于1月24，25號由英國皇家鳥類保護協會繼續舉辦，此次活動的參與人數達到了50萬人。從1979年開始，每當這項活動開始時，人們凝視著那些帶羽毛的生物，并將記錄的數據匯總到協會管理的數據庫中。但是今年人們除了觀測鷦鷯，信鴿以及鶯類這樣的常見鳥類之外，協會再次鼓勵人們去觀察和記錄像松鼠，獾，鹿甚至是蠕蟲這樣的生物。
Since the RSPB was started in 1889 by a group of women worried about the use of feathers in hats, its remit has widened. The charity now runs 212 nature reserves and lobbies the government about broad issues such as climate change and renewable energy. It has also started to emphasise that its main focus is far broader than just birds. In 2013 a TV advert showed a young girl watching for frogs and hedgehogs in her garden; the same year the RSPB magazine Birds was rebranded Nature's Home. People expect all of Nature to be connected, says Mike Clarke, the RSPB's chief executive. “If you go on about birds,” he adds, “you become associated with a bird-watching club.”
1889年由一群婦女建立的英國皇家鳥類保護協會，其初衷是擔憂在帽子上大量裝飾鳥的羽毛會影響鳥類的生存。但自成立之日起，該協會涉足的領域一直在擴大。該協會現在運營著212個自然保護區。同時，還就諸如氣候變化以及可再生能源這樣的問題不斷跟政府進行交涉。協會自身也已經開始強調，他們的關注點遠不只是鳥類。2013年，該協會在電視上登出廣告主題是一個小女孩在仔細觀察她家花園中青蛙和刺猬，同年，協會自辦雜志《鳥類》更名為《自然之家》。 人們期望的是關注所有跟自然界相關的事物，協會理事長 Mike Clarke表示“如果我們繼續只專注于鳥類，那我們和一家觀鳥俱樂部有什么區別？”
Despite its popularity, bird-watching has a “slightly geeky reputation” ventures Kevin Cox of Devon Birds, a local birding society. Nature programmes presented by men wearing khaki shorts and tight-fitting T-shirts make searching for frogs and the like seem rather more glamorous. Having grown quickly during the 1990s, membership of the RSPB began to slow later; it even fell slightly between 2011 and 2013. The recession may have squeezed some birders. But membership numbers at other organisations such as the Wildlife Trusts and the British Trust for Ornithology have continued to rise, albeit from a smaller base. The Wildlife Trusts, an umbrella organisation of 47 different wildlife organisations, has over 800,000 members. “Back in the day, the RSPB was it,” recalls Martin Garner, a birder. Now there is strong competition.
盡管該活動名聲遠揚，但是一個叫‘Kevin Cox of Devon Birds'的地區觀鳥團體讓這次盛會有了一點“小污名”。一群穿著卡其色短褲和緊身T恤的男人搜索著像青蛙這樣的動物—這樣一檔自然節目看上去好像更吸引眼球。而該協會的成員從20世紀90年代起開始急速增長，相對的，RSPB成員的增長速度開始變緩；在2011年至2013年期間甚至有輕微地下滑。之前的經濟危機對于觀鳥者的人數也有一定程度的影響。但是其它類似的小型機構—Wildlife Trusts 和 British Trust for Ornithology的成員人數卻是保持增長的。Wildlife Trusts是一家涵括了47種野生動物的保護組織，現在已經擁有了超過80萬名成員。觀鳥者Martin Garner表示“放在過去，RSPB一家獨大，但是現在競爭非常激烈。”
The RSPB's strategy, along with a more active marketing campaign, seems to be working. Between 2013 and 2014 membership numbers increased by 3% and exceeded 1.1m for the first time. And the RSPB's membership is changing. Families accounted for 15% of all members in 2007, but now make up 30%.
RSPB的對策則是進行一系列有吸引力的市場營銷活動—看上去似乎也起到了作用。2013年至2014年期間，成員數量增加了3%，首次突破了110萬人。與此同時，成員的組成結構也在發生變化。2007年家庭成員占據了15%的會員數，但現在這一數據達到了30%。
Some worry that, by broadening its appeal beyond birds, the campaigning mission of the charity as set out by its Victorian founders will be lost. It risks becoming “muzzled by its fear of losing members”, says Mark Cocker, an expert on birds and birders, perhaps preventing the charity from taking a hard political stance. It also risks alienating the most dedicated birders. Many enthusiasts are already turning to more specialist bird organisations that take “hands-on action” to help preserve wetlands or campaign against the hunting of rare species, says Steve Kirk of BirdForum, a website. Their migration may be more permanent than those of the creatures they track.
與此同時還存在著一些不可忽視的隱患，隨著涉足領域的不斷擴大，RSPB可能會漸漸偏離維多利亞時代的創始人的初衷。鳥類及觀鳥者專家Mark Cocker認為，協會有因為“害怕失去會員而沉默”的風險，這可能會阻止協會繼續維持堅定的政治立場。領域的不斷擴大還可能有疏遠那些專注于鳥類的會員的危險。BirdForum網的Steve Kirk 表示，很多熱衷與此的人表示他們已經準備轉投一些更加專注于鳥類保護的組織——這些組織更能采取一些“實際行動”來保護濕地以及進行反對獵殺珍惜品種的活動。比于他們所追蹤的生物，可以說，鳥兒還有回來的時候，失去的成員不太可能回來了。候鳥尚有歸來日，人去樓空不復還。譯者：曾擎禹 校對：唐宇
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