Hi Steve
The brave thing is to accept JAG's advice: WEAR YOUR
BINOCULARS WITH PRIDE ! They can be a great way of opening
conversations so that you can tell people about avian and
other natural wonders.
Well on my very first morning as an official Australian
resident I went for a walk, bins at the ready, along the
cliffs overlooking Sandringham Harbour. Two women (not
unattractive) approach me. Police officers demanding to know
what I, a male by myself, was doing there.
When I said I lived in Codrington St. one actually said to
the other "we know all about that".
Anyhow, after some further chat, with the observation that
from my experience in London, England, many good urban
birding sites are also gathering places for gay men. Doesn't
worry me because I helped negotiate a "clean up your mess
(condoms)" arrangement with gays using Hampstead Heath. Up
to several hundred a night with an associated murder every
couple of years.
Whoops ! This is not funny. But go into the Birding-Aus
archives and the picture of Glen Ingram with his bins near
the nude beach may still be there.
Teach him and his mates to find a way of doing their
academic chat away from us amateurs.
Michael Norris
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
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