Thought I would include what I saw to keep with the basic purpose of the list (no offense intended š). A quick drive through Sunday afternoon turned up plenty of Common Gallinules (with chicks/young), a couple Solitary Sandpipers, Green Herons, Caspian Terns (1 changing to non-breeding), American Bittern, Great Egrets, & at least 1 Snow Goose still hanging around. Also, all the āusualā residents; GB Herons, DC Cormorants, PB Grebes, Bald Eagles, Osprey, etc.
I am a frequent visitor to the refuge and although I was disappointed many years ago when my daily bike rides on the auto route were no longer allowed, I fully understand the reason for it. I also know that many refuges (I have visited over 100) do allow walking along their drives (but not all, such as Ottawa NWR in OH). As already mentioned, some areas the birds are more āimmuneā to human presence, such as Corkscrew Sanctuary or Ding Darling NWR in FL. Here at Montezuma, remaining in your vehicle does allow you to see much more (especially rails, sora, bitterns, etc.). It is also the law set down by the Fish & Game Service (this being Federal property). There are signs before & during the drive that say to remain in your vehicle & that walking or bike riding are prohibited. The primary purpose of the US Refuge system is to provide suitable habitat for wildlife, the convenience of visitors is a secondary consideration only. Even so, there are several pull-out areas along the drive (and the photo-blind) that do allow you to get out of your vehicle. If you disagree with these laws, please feel free to voice your opinions to the refuge office (not the visitor center that is run by volunteers, we donāt have the authority to make or bend the rules). I also agree that enforcement should be more consistent, and maybe better signs are a good idea. I fully understand that refuge personnel donāt have the time to constantly stop every person that is out of their vehicle. I rarely get through the drive without seeing someone violating this rule. Mark Miller Sent from Windows Mail -- 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/ --
