I agree! Now I just need to remember to take mine with me.

Kristin Stewart
Olympia
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wilson E Cady" <gorgebirds at juno.com>
To: <jeffo at cedarcomm.com>
Cc: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2004 6:20 PM
Subject: Re: birding behavior


>
> On Sun, 25 Jan 2004 10:07:43 -0800 Jeff Osmundson <jeffo at cedarcomm.com>
> writes:
> Tweeters,
> I'm taking a risk here, offering a comment that could start a flame
> war or deteriorate into something else. Not my intention, but I would
> like to offer
> that our hobby or avocation seems to be suffering from success.
> Yesterday I was on the Skagit flats looking at a very interesting
> bird that I had not seen in the area before. I was off on the side of a
> two lane road with scope and binoculars in hand. Within a few minutes
> the first car showed up - stopped in the middle of its travel lane and
> the occupants jumping out to see what I was looking at. This was
> followed by two more cars, both stopping in the travel lane, the last
> close enough to the interesting bird that it flew.
> Not the first time this has happened - it will not be the last. I am
> not saying that I have not stopped to see what was interesting to a
> fellow birder - I do it all the time. It just seems that as birding is
> getting more popular, there may be less understanding by the newer or
> more competitive birder as to the safe or respectful distance for optimum
> enjoyment by all. What is the point? As birding becomes increasingly
> popular, we have the opportunity to educate the newer birder, and remind
> some of us that have been around for a few years, that this non
> consumptive way to enjoy nature should also show respect to the other
> players, both birds and bird watchers.
> >
> > Jeff Osmundson
> > Arlington, WA
>
> This type of problem could easily be avoided if more birds would
> carry FRS radios and tune them to the standard birding channel 11,
> privacy channel 22. A simple call to the other birder inquiring what the
> person is looking at would prevent the need to jump out of a vehicle to
> talk to them. The birds that are flushed by people getting out of their
> cars often would have remained and could have been viewed by everyone
> involved in this incident. These radios are available just about
> everywhere at prices of about $40 for a pair. At the River "S" Unit of
> the Ridgefield Refuge you can be fined $75 for getting out of your
> vehicle between October 1st and May 1st to prevent the disturbance of
> wintering waterfowl. The radios are just about necessary for multiple
> vehicle groups there.
>
> Wilson Cady
> N45 35.618' W122 13.738'
> Washougal, Skamania County, WA
> gorgebirds at juno.com
>