Avitourism
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| Mistle Thrush [Hank Scarth Photo] |
For 13 days Miramichi City, NB has been blessed with the presence of a very rare European bird, a Mistle Thrush. It has settled into the area of west Miramichi City east of Route 8. The area provides lots of trees laden with fruit which keep the bird there.
The Mistle Thrush is a species that is native to Europe. It breeds in summers in northern Europe and the United Kingdom. It winters in southern Europe and north Africa. It has never before been confirmed in North America. That makes this visit ultra-special. As a result many birders from Canada and the United States immediately wanted to come to see this 'new' species. Birders are interested in seeing new species, in studying them and adding the sighting to their species lists. Many birders in New Brunswick have seen over 300 different species in the province. Many US birders have seen over 500 species in the US or North America. There is a keen interest in listing numbers among birders. That sounds crass but for some it appears that the interest is mainly in being able to list numbers. However, in my many years of birding it is my opinion that most birders are keenly interested in the bird, its habitat and in the conservation of nature.
The Mistle Thrush visiting here has been spending most of its time focused on the yard of one Miramichi residence, that of Peter and Deana Gadd. Because Peter is a birder and a photographer he understands birds and birders. He and Deana have been fabulous ambassadors for New Brunswick and Canada in how they have hosted a stream of birders who have come to see this bird. Speaking with him today, he says he has had over 400 visitors from 7 provinces and 22 states. The Canadian birders are from Ontario eastward. The American birders are from as far away as California, Florida and Alaska. He told me that on Sunday he got a phone call from a birder who was in Alaska. On Tuesday he was present at the Gadds viewing the thrush! Birders are an interesting subset of people!
These numbers have made me wonder about the economics of birding, avitourism, as it is called. Ecotourism is the fastest growing segment of the world travel industry, growing 30% per year since 1987, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Ecotourism covers a wide range of nature-related tourism and avitourism is a segment of it. These forms of tourism provide billions of tourist dollars annually throughout the world. According to one study (Tourism Economics and Recreational Trends) travellers who travel to experience natural history spend an average of $62 per day more than the average traveller. Another study shows that 14% of Americans involved in recreation were birdwatchers, more than the number who golf or go boating.
Bird watching is reported as the fastest growing outdoor activity in America and an increasing number are travelling long distances to spot new birds. This clearly has been my experience over the last 20 years. I participated in a birding trip to Newfoundland about 15 years ago and there were birders from California and Florida on that trip. Some of them told me they had travelled as far away as the Aleutian Islands to view birds. According to another study (Market Analysis of Bird-Based Tourism) there were 46.7 million birders in the US in 2011 and 38% of them took trips away from home to see birds.
So what do all these birders add to the economy of the region they visit? According to the study mentioned above, the average birder visiting a refuge in Texas contributed between $88 and $145 to the local economy. That study was in 1994, so today's numbers would be considerably higher. A 2011 Fish and Wildlife Study in the US estimates that the annual economic value of bird watching is $15 billion for trip-related birding and $26 billion for equipment-related expenditures.
These studies show that the average birder is well-educated and has an above-average income. This leads to an economic boost to the area visited. Birders spend money on land and air travel, fuel, lodging, restaurants, books, and equipment. And studies show that birders spend more money than the average tourist. They pay more for comfort and good food. A study by Wiedner shows that the active birder spends $1850 per year on birding activities. A study by Paul Kerlinger (Birding Economics and Birder Demographics Studies as Conservation Tools) showed that the 100,000 visitors to Cape May, NJ spent $10 million and the 57,000 visitors to Point Pelee spent $3.2 million. That is a lot of tourist dollars!
So what has the Mistle Thrush contributed to avitourism since it was discovered on December 9? Doing a very loose estimate of the fraction of birders from New Brunswick, other Canadian provinces and the US, I estimate the gain in ecotourism brought about by the presence of this bird is at least $67, 500. This figure includes land and air travel, meals, lodging, and car rentals but does not include the purchase of clothing, equipment and other necessities. We birders have thoroughly enjoyed the presence of the Mistle Thrush but the area has benefited greatly from its coming. Maybe we should start a 'Thank a Birder Day'. At least, the local economy should cherish and protect our wildlife and its habitat.
Reference
Eubanks et al. 1995, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, birds.cornell.edu
Kerlinger, Paul. Birding Economics and Birder Demographics Studies as Conservation Tools
Market Analysis of Bird-Based Tourism: A Focus on the US Market to Latin America and the Caribbean Including Fact Sheets on the Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala, Paraguay
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