I am sorry, my brain and hands do not co-ordinate! My brain reads whatever it has to be and my hands type whatever they like!
Chimney Swifts are having gala time in front of my office window very often, I think the juveniles have joined the adults and 8 to 9 of them keep flying in circles chattering very excitedly. Cheers Meena -----Original Message----- From: bounce-117687193-3493...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-117687193-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Meena Madhav Haribal Sent: Monday, August 04, 2014 1:15 PM To: Linda Orkin Cc: Kevin J. McGowan; CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: RE: [cayugabirds-l] ...pedestrians on the Wildlife Drive :( Sorry for the major typo- read comprises and compromises! -----Original Message----- From: Linda Orkin [mailto:wingmagi...@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, August 04, 2014 1:12 PM To: Meena Madhav Haribal Cc: Kevin J. McGowan; CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] ...pedestrians on the Wildlife Drive :( Kevin and Meena's points and passions are wonderful guiding principles on the ways we interact with, enjoy, and respect nature. I would love to be involved in some group discussions and creative recommendations. They don't say get out into nature...but stay in your car while doing it. Linda Sent from my iPhone On Aug 4, 2014, at 12:44 PM, Meena Madhav Haribal <m...@cornell.edu> wrote: > Hi Kevin and all, > > Great thoughts Kevin! I am with you on these points! > > Also I would like enjoy other creatures too, it is a wildlife refuge not just > for birds. I would like to see a dragonfly or a flower or a digger wasp > making it home for its progeny. You can't see a digger wasp from your car! > So the refuges are not meant for specifically birds or birders. > > Unless people enjoy the nature they will not support nature conservation. > Most of the people who come there want to enjoy nature not just birders. > > Basic thing needed is educating the public about their behavior. If a person > stands at one location for long time enough without harassing a bird then > they are as effective as cars. Also everybody is not interested in > photographing a bird. If they see some actions by birds they are happy about > it! > > Having said that, I would also suggest that there could be comprises. At > strategic locations there could be blinds or shelters. Also walks could be > open for certain time of the day, so as to get birds a chance to do what they > are supposed to do. For example the dykes on the Knox Marsellus could be open > to public to walk for certain hours of the day. As it is birds are miles > away. > > If we all together put in our efforts we can make solid recommendations to > the refuge or if the refuge managers are reading e-mails they themselves can > think of some of the alternatives. > > If we want people to enjoy nature they should see them up close, a shorebird > three miles away has not effect on a general public than a bird close at hand > and watching its behaviors. Then only they will support conservation! > > We need people to enjoy the nature and love it! > > Hope we will make some changes! > > Cheers > Meena > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: bounce-117686987-3493...@list.cornell.edu > [mailto:bounce-117686987-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Kevin J. > McGowan > Sent: Monday, August 04, 2014 12:03 PM > To: CAYUGABIRDS-L > Subject: RE: [cayugabirds-l] ...pedestrians on the Wildlife Drive :( > > Of course birds let you get closer when you're in a car. That's as true at > Stewart Park and along any back road as it is in Montezuma. I do a ton of > observation and photography from my car, sometimes even in my own driveway. > > That's great for one person, but it stinks for groups. > > Having to remain in a car on the wildlife drive diminishes the possible > experience of any group, especially a group with a scope, which cannot be > used by multiple people (the best teaching tool for groups). It also > diminishes the potential experience for kids and anyone who would like to get > out and get a closer look. > > I'm hearing a lot of 1%-er talk, "I want to optimize my experience, and the > riff-raff should just stay away (or stay in their cars)." I am as guilty (or > more) as anyone of wanting to have the entire refuge to myself. But in the > bigger picture, I don't see having too many people enjoying nature at > Montezuma as the problem. I think it's quite the opposite: there are too FEW > people learning about nature there. > > Those of us interested in nature and supportive of the National Wildlife > Refuge system should want EVERYONE to get out of their cars and poke around. > I WANT people to peer through the reeds and see a turtle (or maybe a rail). > I WANT people to stop and take pictures of the flowers. I WANT people to get > out and marvel at a muskrat mound, and then have a young Bald Eagle fly over > their heads. (It's hard to look up from a back seat.) > > In my personal opinion, anything that reduces the availability of wildlife > watching and nature exploration for the general public is a bad thing. Of > course safety measures should be in place to protect the wildlife and the > habitat. But access and education should be the default. Unless you have a > darned good reason, please don't keep me and my kids (and neighbors, and > parents, and friends) out. > > Kevin > > Kevin McGowan > Ithaca, NY > > -- > > 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/ > > -- > -- 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/ --
