The fact that a famous bird enthusiast dislikes forest management—neither the extraction of timber resources nor the planting of forests—is nothing new or surprising. The song is ancient (bordering on decrepit), yet catchy and soul-stirring: “they are chopping down the forests, the birds have nowhere to live, great sorrow and grief.” In turn, the chorus emphasises that by cutting down forests, protected bird species are being subjected to an existential (survival) crisis. If that is not enough for the average listener, the text hits the sceptical Thomases with: “over 10,000 signatures collected (that is 0.5% of the official Latvian population) for a ban on logging from 1 April to 30 June”.

What has happened? Barbarians continue to chop down the forest and destroy the living nature that is on the verge of facing irreversible consequences. Friends! Where there was forest, there will be desert! I wonder what the bird enthusiasts would have said 100 years ago, when there was significantly less forest in Latvia. Following the logic of the bird enthusiasts, the birds should have disappeared. Not only because there was less forest, but... wild birds were and are prey for predators, cats, and also humans. What a tragedy, the birds have “survived” both smaller forest areas and two world wars, during which it was much harder for some of these feathered creatures to survive than in times of peace.

It seems the bird enthusiasts have not been asked about this, and it is unknown whether they have even given such things any thought.

Migratory birds that head to warmer lands “serve as an additional food source” for local predators. This “base” is also used by predators in those warmer countries. I wonder if Latvia’s bird enthusiasts have delivered even a single political training course in the wintering grounds of Latvian migratory birds, “enlightening” them on how bad and utterly uncivilised it is, for example, to eat a stork for dinner. We haven't heard of any, but it is quite possible that Latvia’s bird enthusiasts go on “expeditions” to Africa regularly, only... with what money. Oh, the evil “Covid” must have stopped the travelling!

Yes, yes, we talk a lot about decisions based on scientific data! How many individuals of each bird species live in Latvia? How many crows, for example, and where are they found? How many sparrows and where do they live? How many swallows and where do they nest? Furthermore, it would be only understandable and logical if we could know how many swallows, for example, flew off to warmer lands in the autumn of 2020 and how many returned this spring. The same must be asked about starlings, storks, etc. Woodpeckers and owls are mentioned more and more frequently; there is a lack of concrete data for these feathered creatures as well. Research is also needed: where and why the number of individuals of certain bird species is increasing and, conversely, whose and why it is decreasing. Is it the fault of the beloved moggies, other predators like hawks, or a lack of food? How large will the share of forest—tree—felling (logging) be?

Perhaps the bird enthusiasts’ “attack”, based on concerns that the forest management plan is a worthless piece of paper, should be understood as a peculiar “invitation” to forest owners to open their wallets for research—for example, how many birds we have, and, of course, it would be important to find out how they “feel” in a particular forest and a particular tree. Yes, that is certainly not an easy or quick job—these are years spent in sweat and toil from early morning until the dead of night, and through the nights too, researching the lives of owls and eagle-owls. Of course, such a gigantic task requires a lot of money—let’s say—a couple of hundred thousand euros in cash. Nonsense? Perhaps!

How else to explain the “desperation” of the bird enthusiasts? Is there a lack of understanding? No, indeed, these are knowledgeable and, surely, smart people with serious educations! Perhaps the explanation lies solely in a strange assumption—namely, that “donors” will not see what to support the bird enthusiasts for; if there are no activities, there is no money. Nonsense? Perhaps!

Oh, yes, and foresters supposedly believe the conspiracy theories that the “loud” greens and bird enthusiasts are “bought” by foreign competitors. Nonsense? Perhaps! However, if foreign competitors can reap peculiar dividends from such activities by green nature lovers and bird enthusiasts (by selling more because it cannot be extracted and produced in Latvia), it is no longer funny. Undeniably, there are victims of even crazier conspiracy theories who consider the greens and bird enthusiasts to be an influential global organisation that local politicians (those who regularly come and go) are unable to oppose. The confrontation between foresters and nature lovers is undoubtedly necessary for the latter: if there is no “fight”, who will they be interesting to—only to themselves. Why donate money to these oddballs?

The foundation of the Latvian state is the land. If a forest grows on it, logically, it is managed. If that does not happen, the question arises about jobs in rural areas, where the number has dwindled over the last 25 years and vast territories of Latvia have been “cleared” of human presence. The fewer people in the regions and in Latvia, the worse it is for the birdies?! Is that so? Continuing to “clear” the regions of residents is dangerous because the state cannot exist without people! I wonder what the bird enthusiasts would say about such an assessment of their activities, which in other times would be called, at the very least, a “peculiar diversion”? Are the bird enthusiasts also manifesting such activities in Estonia, Lithuania, and, in particular, Finland, Sweden, Austria, or Germany? Is logging from 1 April to 30 June already banned in those countries? Has an inventory and census of feathered friends been carried out? Is bird monitoring being conducted? See how many interesting questions there are! Will Latvia once again be a peculiar pioneer or the cork in every bottle? Well then, at least in some area we will “put the block” on Europe and, most likely, the rest of the world. Let them wonder... and learn from us!