Hi, all,

The new signs at Seattle's Montlake Fill (east of the U. W. stadium)
don't represent new policy. Identical (or nearly so) signs have
regularly been posted there in an attempt to prevent social trails and
habitat disturbance. (The Fill's social trails have come and gone and
shifted location many times over the last couple of decades. Enough
people leave the trail near the central pond to have killed some of the
row of big snowberries -- and to form a new social trail around them --
planted this winter to encourage people to stay on the trail.) The last
of the previous generation of signs deteriorated about eight months ago.
Managers told me then they'd prefer to have more and better signs, and
no lapse without signs, but budget constraints limited them. (I presume
the same could be said about enforcement.)

Optics allow us to see and enjoy the birds of the Fill without leaving
the gravel trail. Staying on trails is a compromise allowing thousands
of people to enjoy the site and still have it be good habitat. Whatever
our opinions about the policy, it comes to a component of birding
ethics: respecting the wishes of the property owner granting access.

Today's goodies included YELLOW and WILSON'S WARBLERS, WARBLING VIREOS,
OSPREY, a soaring pair of COOPER'S HAWKS, and a soaring PEREGRINE
FALCON. The blue camas have set seed.

16 May, 2010,

Alan Grenon
Seattle
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