Dear Parrots magazine,
Future of hobbyists?
I’m sure I am not alone when I say I’m fed up with my youngest son glued to his mobile phone and iPad and not seeming to be interested in anything else.
I have been breeding Bourkes for the past 14 years and have found it to be an exciting time and a hobby that helps to remove the stress from everyday life. I have made many friends and have found that such a hobby produces much enjoyment for not only me, but my wife too as she loves to watch these super little parakeets enjoying their lives in my aviary.
It was our hope that our youngest son would follow in my footsteps as he had shown strong interest in the birds as he grew up, but fear that the outside pressures of his friends, who all seem to be technophiles, have won the day and pulled him away from my hobby in favour of his phone.
While I am amazed at how technology has produced some wonderful things, there is an unfortunate side as the hobbies we have all enjoyed for generations are being ignored. And with the obsession with phones and tablets, conversation is something of the past as is a lack of interaction with our wildlife meaning bird hobbyists now seem to be a dying breed.
I would love to think that our hobby will remain strong and enthusiastic, but am not holding my breath.
Tom Winstanley, Norfolk