David Geering wrote:
>
> I have had a lot of dealings with
> landholders in the Capertee Valley over the past seven years. Recently,
> people have been mentioning to me that they have encountered birdwatchers
> standing in the middle of roads on blind corners and cars parked on the
> roadside in an unsafe manner. Interestingly, it's only been the last six
> months that these complaints have been made. I should say that these
> comments have been regularly made by a number of people. The timing
> coincides with the presence of Regent Honeyeaters on the Rylstone Road and
> an associated increased birdwatcher presence on this road.
>
> I must say that I have seen people parked in dangerous places myself. My
> feeling is that people birdwatching along roads should be particularly aware
> that there are other road users. PLEASE park in places that offer oncoming
> traffic a good view well in advance and park well off the road. This might
> mean walking several hundred metres to where you want to birdwatch. If
> birdwatching on the road, and the best views are often from the middle of
> the road, please be very aware of traffic and do not stand on the road at
> blind corners (I've seen people doing this - seriously!)
>
> I don't believe I am writing this, it's all road safety common sense. I
> mentioned this issue to someone birdwatching (and badly parked) in the
> valley a few weeks ago. Their response was that people drove too quickly on
> these roads. They missed the point entirely! It is your responsibility not
> to endanger other road users. I would hate to hear of a birdwatcher, or
> local, being involved in an accident in this manner.
Yes, sometimes I think a lot of us have a few wombat genes in our
chromosones - I often come across "wombats" thoughtlessly wandering
along bikepaths when I am riding to and from work.
That said, you can often get better views of birds from your car [mobile
hide] than you can on foot.
I wonder if the people most at risk of doing something dumb on a busy
road are those who lose their heads trying to tick a rare/presumed
extinct lifer ...
LK
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