Now that we are on that thread . . .

I don't think that rude behavior towards birders is limited to, or even at
it's worst in, the rural areas. You should hear the war stories of rural
folks going to the city. If one is driving on city roads and slows down (or
even goes the speed limit sometimes) to take a look at a bird or read a
street sign, the blare of horns is a distinct possiblity, and in fact, to be
expected. The only difference with the rural areas is the blare seems out
of place, and is occasionally directed at pedestrians.

In both cases we are talking about individuals who are acting out. It would
be great if people were more relaxed, and didn't need to rush or vent
frustration, but they are and do, and people that are doing unexplainable
things seem to be the targets. This can be dangerous and usually is very
annoying. My solution in the city and the skagit is to drive to a spot and
then get off the road and even out of the car to walk in some areas.

In Port Townsend we get "house watchers" some of whom seem to forget that
they are on a road that might have through traffic on it. The streets are
vacant compared to city standards and they just kind of stop. As a driver,
one is never sure whether they are thinking of pulling off to one side or
the other and passing is usually only safe after you have stopped for a
moment to see what they are doing. While I do not honk or scream at these
people it is extremely inconsiderate of them, and that is in uptown where
most of us drive 20 MPH. With all the birders on the Skagit and the biggish
distances and fast speeds I can see where birders are not exciting
encounters for locals. It is important to get out of the road and be
vigilant and to recognize that to most normal drivers you are driving
erratically in the sense that they don't know whether you are stopping in
the middle of the road, pulling off the road, or what.

Of note to the sammish flats, this past weekend we encountered a Washington
State wildlife biologist at the West 90 who was surveying the land between
there and the dike. They are closing on the property in 3 weeks and will
provide parking at the corner, maybe a trail to the dike, and probably allow
hunting in season. This will greatly help alleviate the congestion at this
point. I'm not sure what to think about the hunting or allowing folk to
walk to the dike, but the public ownership is great. Maybe birders should
get together and fund some parking in other areas of the skagit, or lobby to
get some wide shoulders along some of the roads. They really do seem kind
of dangerous.

Mike Kennedy, Port Townsend <mikken at daka.com>