The presence of the Mississippi Kite pair in Saratoga County this month has generally been a positive experience for both birders and the Country Knolls neighborhood, and the Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club wishes to continue this goodwill between visitors and local residents (most of whom have been genuinely excited by the celebrity of “their” kites). In that spirit, we offer the following guidance we hope birders and photographers will adhere to voluntarily:
- Always respect private property and privacy while visiting. Refrain from trespassing and avoid loitering on the street directly in front of people’s homes for very long (if at all). - Be mindful of where optics and cameras are aimed. This is a dense residential neighborhood and people may get upset about birders pointing binoculars and telephoto lenses into their backyards. - There have been complaints about birders parking in inconvenient places (including someone who parked in front of a resident’s mailbox). We encourage visitors to use public parking rather than possibly creating conflicts by parking in front of residences. The Town of Clifton Park’s Longkill Park is a convenient nearby option, and there’s also some parking for the subdivision’s swimming pool on Burning Bush Boulevard (though residents should be given priority at this location at peak times). - Consider making your visit in the mid- to late morning or early afternoon in order to minimize disturbances to residents. Not only will this avoid early morning and evening hours when people are more likely to be home relaxing or getting ready for work and school, but it’s also when the kites are most active. - Much of the above is also reiterated in the American Birding Association’s Code of Birding Ethics, which we encourage birders to reacquaint themselves with, especially in situations like this: https://www.aba.org/aba-code-of-birding-ethics/ And lastly, please keep in mind how you would feel if this was happening in your own neighborhood and behave accordingly with courtesy and respect. Thank you for your cooperation. Good birding, Tristan Lowery President, Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
