Hey tweets, like other birders, John and I walked out on the boardwalk to
see the sharptailed sandpiper. We did not strictly speaking have permission
to do so. We were invited to come onto the property by the manager, who
asked us to sign in. We did and wandered about freely. We saw the sign on
the boardwalk that said No Trespassing, but we assumed it was like the
other signs around the fences. When we were done looking at the bird, I
went back to the office to thank the manager. He said that he didn't think
we should be out on that boardwalk because it belonged to the FAA, not to
the Hoquiam STP. He told me that it had been constructed so that FAA
workers could inspect and replace the airport lights that were used to help
airplanes land behind the STP. He said that he'd heard that before the
boardwalk was built, the FAA workers would go out in little boats to do
their business and they complained about getting sewage on them. So the
boardwalk was built to allow them to perform their duty without getting
splashed. In other words, I'm not at all sure that the STP workers have the
right to grant permission to us to use the boardwalk. I am sure, however,
that they can get into trouble for it, if anyone cares to complain.

I suppose that it is a legitimate position to take to say that if a STP
worker grants permission, then how are we to know different? And maybe it
is all okay. But knowing now about the FAA, probably if I were to go there
again, I would not walk out on the boardwalk.

On the other hand, I've already had my walk on the wild side and reaped the
benefit, so it's easy for me to say I wouldn't do it again. If a lifer
showed up and the only way to see it was to enlarge the envelope but not
rip it to shreds, so to speak, what would I do? Hard to say.

When the ivory gull showed up on the barge up in BC and a conveniently
placed bridge was right there with only a measly No Trespassing sign to bar
the way, I acted like Aesop's hungry donkey between two bales of hay. I
walked forward, I walked back, forward, back. At the height of my frenzy, a
boat worker strolled up and gave me a look. I explained how rare the gull
is and how much of a privilege it would be for me to take just a teensy
weensy step onto the bridge. Undoubtedly I would have batted my eyes at the
guy, but I don't have all the necessary equipment to make that kind of
impression, so I refrained. At any rate, the guy said no. He did offer to
take people's cameras with him onto the barge. So we had this amusing
spectacle of a total nonbirder walking up to an extreme rarity (that kept
hiding just beneath our viewpoint, only popping up for the briefest and
most frustrating moments), snapping a picture, walking back and getting
another camera. He made a fortune on tips. The whole experience strained my
understanding of Rousseau's social contract ideas.- Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com