Dear listers and other birders:

I want to point out that I did qualify my remarks regarding listers...the tar
I used was only applied to those birders whom I thought were actively causing
harm through their actions...food dumping and habitat destruction. Cathi, if
you don't practice food dumping, tape playing, and flashlight wielding, you
are not being tarred with my brush. Perhaps I might have made this more clear
in my remarks.

My trip to Madera Canyon was actually the first time I had ever been in the
company of large groups of birders and I guess I was just surprised and
shocked by what these birders would do to make a sighting. I'm out on a limb
here, but I really don't believe that these were the actions of a moronic
few...Madera Canyon is heavily visited and I felt very much that I was one of
the very few who did not use food, tapes, and flashlights to elicit a
sighting. When offered any one of these items, I did refuse and explained my
refusal to the birder, but I'm not one to address crowds. Especially when I'm
alone.

>From what I observed, those who live in Madera Canyon passively encourage bad
birder behavior. The same clerk who related the sad tale of the nightjars
agreed to lead a night birding tour. In fact, I suspected it was she who led
the tour into our campground in search of the elf owls.

I spend a lot of time outdoors and have many opportunities to enforce
wilderness etiquette: leash your dog, don't stray from the path, put that
plant down, bury your waste, don't wash dishes in the stream, hang your food,
don't litter, don't feed wildlife, don't scrounge wood for your campfire. I
see all this and more in one day at a campground or a few hours on a trail. I
guess I just don't feel inclined to spend all of my time asking ADULTS to
observe CLEARLY POSTED RULES and COMMON SENSE WILDERNESS ETIQUETTE. People
who actively choose to ignore postings are types I want to approach
carefully, especially when they have big mean dogs and I am alone.

So, I'm not condemning listers as a group, I'm condemning birders whose
behavior is extreme, unpleasant, and in violation of wilderness etiquette.

Best,
Wallis