Bird watching Protocol Posted on May 29, 2006 at 08:46:32 PM by Lou Probst
BIRD WATCHING AND LANDOWNERS
ON COMMON GROUND ON THE CARDEN PLAIN
Approximately 25 signs depicting a bird, binoculars and “Respect Private Property” can be seen at several attractive birding locations on the Carden Plain. For the most part these signs are an extension of Rural Revolution signs “Back Off Government” that are even more conspicuous. The signs in themselves are not a threat and come from a small group of local landowners. Following a few simple rules will minimize most potential problems:
1. Don’t trespass on private property without permission for any reason. Do your birding from the public roadsides.
2. Where you see a “no Birder” sign avoid training your binoculars on their house or on the residents of the related property.
3. When you encounter local people greet them in your usual friendly manner. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about anything that feels natural to you.
4. In the off chance, you are confronted by someone, while being careful to avoid escalating the situation, ask what the problem is and if you feel threatened record the person’s license number, name (if you can), description, what was said that you felt threatening and the address where the incident took place (e.g. Box 10 Wylie Rd.).
5. With this information in hand you can call the police at (705)324-6741 and report the incident or you can e-mail the information to me at lepco@lindsaycomp.on.ca. (subject: Birding Encounter) You should know that the police will only act on first hand information so reporting it yourself is the only way to deal directly with the issue, never-the-less if you don’t want to call the police it is better to report to me than do nothing.