Many years ago (like in my teens and 20s) when out bird watching in rural areas, I recall myself and others (maybe even frequently or regularly) climbing through
fences to look at birds if something was seen say in a paddock. This was not done to just explore something on the off chance, in that circumstance I would walk along the road or wait to encounter a suitable site. The thought I had back then was this was OK
for plain wire fences that could be easily climbed through without any adverse impact on the fence. I would not walk through and over crops or do any damage. Now I am more aware and I have not done this for a long time. It is now much better protocol to have
changed that habit. So yes I may have in Martin’s words sometimes seriously annoying the landholder
but I rarely had that impression. Yes in all the years I recall a small number of interesting interactions. One place that I regularly assisted in the survey with someone else (this was 1980 to 1982 in SE Qld and there was a big farm dam with many waterbirds
about 100 metres inside the farm gate), the land holder did approach us one time and say they had often noticed us and wondered what we were doing. When Graham explained it was for the national bird atlas, the guy said “We always thought you were Uranium prospectors”.
Thinking back I now think it strange that seeing Graham had been surveying around that route every season for some years that he had not actually asked or informed that landholder. Yet in the context of then I did not see that activity as overly bad. I wonder
how many other readers would be honest to admit to this.
From: Martin Butterfield [
Sent: Friday, 6 September, 2019 11:55 AM
To: Ryu Callaway
Cc: COG Chat
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Has eBird made people selfish with sightings?
"When the painted-snipe were reported at Lake Road I met one snapper who had driven a considerable distance, and had to be dissuaded from climbing the fence,
something that would certainly have caused anxiety to the birds. "
Not to mention seriously annoying the landholder!
This is a HUGE problem in the UK. Read p111-2 of Mark Cocker's book "Birders : Tales of a tribe - especially for the odoriferous consequences.
