We can always rationalize a car! I bet we could put our collective imaginations and creativity together and conceive different viewing options that would be better for the birds and people. This is true in general for human settlements as well. However, people want to DRIVE on the same old road and look at birds. It is what it is.
On Monday, August 4, 2014 10:10 AM, Marie P. Read <m...@cornell.edu> wrote: <large, motorized, polluting, loud, deadly vehicle is preferable to a human being on foot, or on a bicycle. Well, most of the vehicles cruising the wildlife drive are going extremely slowly because people are trying to see the wildlife, so they're not really loud and deadly (when they're going 60 mph on the highway, of course they ARE). They certainly are large, motorized and polluting. But from a bird's point of view, usually once the birds have got used to vehicles they tend to ignore them…simply because vehicles don't look like people! The same reason birds eventually ignore a photo blind, even if it's a large canvas box! Step outside and they're gone! People on foot and on bikes would absolutely be more disruptive…especially from a photographer's point of view. Given that people on foot (especially photographers like myself) would always want to be closer, I can imagine how they might approach the cattail edge closer than is now possible by car. I know I would be tempted. That would certainly push away birds such as the gallinules that were right along that edge with their chicks last week. And that spoils it all for the people coming up behind you. Last week from my vehicle I was able to get amazing close-ups of them feeding their young. So, somewhat to my surprise (given how many times in the past decades I have cursed MNWR's "in your vehicle" restriction) I find myself wanting to keep the restriction…in my opinion removing it would ruin MNWR's wildlife drive for bird photography. But someone did suggest another option: a few more spots around the refuge (especially along the drive) where you can get out. Halfway along the channel on the wildlife drive would, in my opinion, be ideal for one of those spots. Maybe a nice wooden deck out over the water? (I know….$$$ !) Any birds residing in the vicinity would likely become used to seeing people there and eventually ignore them. Of course, how to contain the parking and corral the people so they don't simply wander up and down the drive on either side of the deck would be perennial problems. Marie Marie Read Wildlife Photography 452 Ringwood Road Freeville NY 13068 USA Phone 607-539-6608 e-mail m...@cornell.edu http://www.marieread.com/ Author of Sierra Wings: Birds of the Mono Lake Basin Available here: http://marieread.photoshelter.com/gallery/Sierra-Wings-Birds-of-the-Mono-Lake-Basin/G0000NlCxX37uTzE/C0000BPFGij6nLfE ________________________________________ From: bounce-117686157-5851...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-117686157-5851...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Lisa Welch [welch_m_l...@yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, August 4, 2014 9:26 AM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] MNWR Caspian Terns and pedestrians on the Wildlife Drive :( I find it counter-intuitive that a large, motorized, polluting, loud, deadly vehicle is preferable to a human being on foot, or on a bicycle. Perhaps it's people AND cars that scares the birds. :-) On Saturday, August 2, 2014 7:47 PM, Bard Prentiss <prenti...@frontiernet.net> wrote: I don't remember anyone addressing this long standing annoyance in the manner I mention below and I think its worth a try: Perhaps the bird clubs in the region could each submit thoughtful petitions to the director of mnwr requesting a policy change. If Chris didn't mind one might also originate with this list serve. It would be difficult for a public servant to ignore several hundred signatures behind a group of thoughtfully worded letters and It should at least generate a response and get a dialogue going. Bird Hard Bard Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 2, 2014, at 6:08 PM, John VanNiel > <john.vann...@flcc.edu<mailto:john.vann...@flcc.edu>> wrote: > > Meena, this is exactly the kind f discussion I was hoping to instigate. I am > not against a change in policy, but I am for enforcement of policies. > Dr. John Van Niel > Professor of Environmental Conservation > Director, East Hill Campus > Finger Lakes Community College > ________________________________________ > From: Meena Madhav Haribal [m...@cornell.edu<mailto:m...@cornell.edu>] > Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2014 5:59 PM > To: John VanNiel > Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L > Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] MNWR Caspian Terns and pedestrians on the > Wildlife Drive :( > > Hi John and all, > My question to you is were the birds disturbed by so many people being out. I > have been to MNWR for more than 20 years. When I started birding MNWR there > was no restriction of being in the car. We could walk around on the drive. > I have been to many NWR refuges, nowhere there was restrictions as to be in > car. I have seen shorebirds and other birds from as close as few feet from > me. Birds get used to human beings if we are not shooting them or harassing > them. So why there is so much fuss about disturbing the non_existing birds on > the wildlife drive. > I am for the one who believe in opening the drive to foot traffic. > I agree if someone is harassing the birds they should be stopped. If someone > is digiscoping that means birds were far anyway, so why complain about them? > > I vote for wildlife drive should be open for foot traffic! > > Cheers > Meena > > John VanNiel <john.vann...@flcc.edu<mailto:john.vann...@flcc.edu>> wrote: > > > Many Caspian Terns along the Wildlife Drive at Montezuma this afternoon. I > very much enjoyed trying to photograph them in flight. (Now the rant..) What > I did NOT enjoy were all the people out of their vehicles. Every single > person in the five cars ahead of me were out of the vehicles. A young couple > were digiscoping with a nice spotting scope on a tripod. Another woman with a > large telephoto lens was parked in the middle of the drive and was excitedly > taking photos. Two elderly women were down at the edge of the water snapping > pictures of the mallows in bloom. I could go on.... I moved to Seneca Falls > 19 years ago and have been a regular visitor since. I cannot recall a year > when the foot traffic was as bad as I have seen it this year. There are two > signs that instruct visitors to stay in their vehicles that drivers pass > before entering the drive and a third reminder after the big left turn before > Benning Marsh. However, I can understand how visitors would miss seeing them. I think this is a problem that needs a solution. I would like to speak to the Refuge staff formally about it. If anyone would like to join me or have me relay his or her thoughts, please contact me offline. Thank you for your time. > Dr. John Van Niel > Professor of Environmental Conservation > Director, East Hill Campus > Finger Lakes Community College > ________________________________________ > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
