Subject: Fwd: Grouse etiquette
Date: Feb 28 17:11:38 2003
From: Meredith and/or Dave Spencer - merdave at televar.com



Tweeters, Mike does not subscribe to Tweeters, but I told him I would post
this info. for him. Thanks. Meredith Spencer


>Reply-To: "Michael A. Schroeder" <schromas at dfw.wa.gov>
>From: "Michael A. Schroeder" <grouse at televar.com>
>To: "Dave and Meredith Spencer" <merdave at televar.com>
>Subject: Grouse etiquette
>Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 05:53:40 -0800
>Organization: WDFW
>X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000
>
>
>GROUSE ETIQUETTE
>
>Every year there is increasing interest in being able to observe greater
>sage-grouse and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse. This is not surprising
>given the spectacular nature of their appearance and behavior as well as
>the difficulties in finding them. Both species are listed as 'threatened'
>in the state of Washington. North-central Washington, and in particular
>Douglas County, continues to be one of their few strongholds. The purpose
>of this note is to provide 2 simple rules which should apply to your
>observations of grouse, as well as to many other species.
>
>1. Do not disturb the birds. When these birds are observed from a distance
>they will continue to behave normally. Your efforts to get closer
>inevitably result in the birds being 'flushed'. If you can see the birds
>while inside your vehicle, please stay inside your vehicle. Please keep in
>mind that repeated disturbance of these birds will likely increase their
>risk of predation.
>
>Many people are aware that sage-grouse and sharp-tailed grouse congregate
>on traditional sites referred to as 'leks'. These leks are the focal point
>for annual breeding activities each spring. In our 50 years of surveys, it
>is clear that leks that have been repeatedly disturbed in the past have
>either disappeared or moved. The lesson here is that if you want to
>continue to observe these birds, please do not disturb them.
>
>2. Respect private property. Because most of these birds are on
>privately-owned land, crossing the fence for a better look will often make
>you a 'trespasser'. Trespassing will give the landowners a negative
>feeling about bird-watchers and this is something we desperately want to
>avoid. In fact, if you ever encounter a landowner while you are out
>bird-watching (hopefully not while you are trespassing), you might want to
>thank them. Most of the landowners in north-central Washington care very
>deeply about wildlife. That is one of the reasons why they get so upset
>when people trespass. I have attached an article below from a 2001 issue
>of Birding which illustrates the same point.
>
>These are simple rules which will be easy to follow. Please share them
>with your friends or others that you meet on your excursions. I don't want
>to stop individuals from observing these birds, but to make sure that we
>can all continue to observe them in perpetuity.
>
>Michael A. Schroeder
>Upland Bird Research Biologist
>Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
>P.O. Box 1077
>Bridgeport, WA 98813
>
>
>
>Don't Grouse About Birding Ethics (A case for good birding behavior)
>
>Alan Delorey, 155 Derry Road, Chester, NH 03036 (Al.Delorey at Compaq.com)
>
>December 2001 issue of Birding (Volume 33 [Number 6]:564-565)
>
>My wife, Barbara, and I took an April trip to Colorado recently to see the
>various species of grouse and prairie- chickens that the state has to
>offer. We saw the Sharp-tailed Grouse in the Craig area, the Greater
>Sage-Grouse in Walden, the Lesser Prairie-Chicken near Campo, and the
>(newly split) Gunnison Sage-Grouse in the Gunnison area, all at public
>viewing-sites. However, we had our most interesting experience of the trip
>when we drove to Wray in the northeast comer of Colorado for the Greater
>Prairie-Chicken.
>
>All of the Greater Prairie-Chicken leks in that area are on private
>property. On spring weekends the Wray museum runs organized trips to see
>the Greater Prairie-Chickens displaying at their leks. However, due to our
>travel schedule we were unable to be in Wray over the weekend. Undaunted,
>and armed with a good spotting scope, we decided to try our luck anyway.
>
>We pulled into Wray on Tuesday afternoon and checked into the Sandhiller
>Motel, so named for the grass-covered sandhills that are characteristic of
>this part of Colorado. Masters of logistics and not wanting to waste any
>precious early-morning time searching for an active lek, we went out that
>afternoon to reconnoiter. We drove a few miles out of town and turned onto
>a side road that wound its way through a prime area for active leks.
>Always mindful of adhering to good birding ethics, including not
>trespassing on private property, we were careful to stay on the public
>road. We stopped at a promising spot that afforded a clear view of several
>grass-covered sandhills, reputed to be likely places for an active lek. As
>we scanned with our binoculars, a white pick-up truck approached. It
>slowed to a stop beside us, and the man inquired, "Can I help you?" From
>the tone of his voice, it was not the police interrogative that it might
>have seemed, but rather a challenge as to what business we had being there.
>
>It was a tense moment. Birders are not always welcome by locals.
>Unfortunately, poor behavior by an over-zealous few has sometimes given
>all birders a bad reputation. I politely explained that we were birders
>who had traveled from New Hampshire to see a Greater Prairie-Chicken, but
>since we did not have permission to enter private property, we were hoping
>to be able to see one from the road.
>
>He asked a few more questions, then satisfied with our answers, his
>demeanor softened considerably. It turned out that he was the rancher who
>owned the land and that he had occasional trouble with people trespassing.
>Because we had respected his property rights, he was happy to help us.
>After we parked our rental car nearby and climbed into his truck with him,
>he drove us to a nearby lek where several Greater Prairie-Chickens were
>displaying just before sunset. He told us to take careful note of the
>location so we could find our way back, and invited us to return to the
>spot early the following morning for an even better display. He told us
>where his office was and instructed us to check in with him in the morning
>after we left the lek, and then returned us to our rental car.
>
>Thankful for this fortuitous turn of events, we returned to the motel for
>a quick supper and a good night's sleep. Rising well before daylight, we
>arrived at the lek while it was still dark. As day gradually dawned, we
>were surrounded by the spectacle of dozens of actively displaying Greater
>Prairie-Chickens. They performed their ritual dances unmindful of our
>presence while we used our car as a blind. After a few hours, the birds
>began leaving the lek, and we left to check in with the rancher at his
>office. There is a valuable lesson in this experience. Had we been
>trespassing, the rancher would probably have ushered us off his property,
>and we might not have seen a Greater Prairie-Chicken. However, because we
>were careful to respect private property, he rolled out the red carpet for us.
>
>---
>Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>Version: 6.0.454 / Virus Database: 253 - Release Date: 2/10/03
-------------- next part --------------

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.454 / Virus Database: 253 - Release Date: 2/10/03