A Left Coast Birder's Viewpoint

Bad Birders

I'm not talking about birders who don't know their birds very well (heck, I don't know birds that well).  I'm talking about birders who don't respect the birders' ethics code or are just plain inconsiderate!

Here is my starting collection of birders being bad.

This picture was taken at the "narrows" a popular stopping place for birders at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, OR.  There is a resevoir on either side of the road, with mudflats and marshes. While we were in the pull off (see large pavement in the bottom left of the picture), the red car (left) full of birders drives up and STOPS in the ROAD.  I can't fail to mention that the road is actually a county highway and people are traveling 55-60 mph on the road. The red car idles in the middle of the road, 10 feet from the pulloff, as the birders look out the windows at the birds. Several cars (like the one on the right) have to drive around the car.  After 7-10 minutes of sitting in the middle of the highway, the birders finally pull into the pulloff. I can only be thankful the birders didn't set up their scopes in the middle of the road as well.

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