Birders and photographers and others with binoculars and cameras,
In case it needs to be said, and apparently it does, IT IS NOT OK TO WALK DOWN
THE CREEK EDGE TRYING TO FIND AND FLUSH THE AMERICAN WOODCOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This constitutes clueless, and/or rude, unethical behavior and is the kind of
thing that gives us birders and photographers bad names with neighbors,
enforcement rangers, and other birders. Come on, people. A tick mark isn't
worth being idiots, to use a moderate label.
Sometimes it takes a little skill and patience to see a bird, even one that is
pinned down to an area of 50 yards. This bird evolved its special camouflage
over eons and is remarkable in this respect. If one doesn't see this bird or
any bird, as often happens with ethical birding, you hope to see the next one.
This isn't like going to the zoo where you have a map, the cage has a name on
it, and it is fairly reasonable to expect seeing the animal for which the cage
is named.
Outdoors people usually don't give up the location of their favorite fishing
hole, a morel patch, or an owl cavity. Screwing up viewing for everybody who
might follow you by stomping around for a woodcock is what leads to decreased
sharing on public media about other kinds of situations like this one. It
happened with the Fountain Creek bird last year. One guy with a lot of saliva
thwarted untold others from seeing that bird, some of whom drove hundreds of
miles. I knew when this bird was beautifully discovered by Fawn Simonds that
it was special enough to perhaps warrant special protocols (limited viewing
times, guided group visits, or something along those lines), particularly since
the parking lot at Bobcat was closed due to mud. But the word was innocently
put out on COBIRDS. The first couple days went OK. Things tend to come
unraveled on Day 3 of a "Happening" and apparently that's what is going on.
The unraveling can cease with simple considerate behavior on the part of
visitors from here on. Please.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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