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Sunday 18 November 2012

Don't disturb the Harriers

Might as well be stood there with a gun
I stumbled across a bunch of birders at Walland Marsh today. They were standing and talking with little concern for the Harriers (or was it a Crane?) they'd come to see. I asked them to stand down from the brow of a bank overlooking a close-by Harrier roost. The same view could be had from simply taking 10 steps down the bank and out of the flight-line of incoming roosting birds. As I walked away, I saw that no one had moved. So a big thumbs down to all those birders who were there - and you were noisy, too. When you hear that the roost isn't used by Harriers like it used to be in the past, you might know the reason why.

Anyone visiting Walland Marsh reserve should not park their cars beyond the field gate (I suggest the pub car park), and never walk on top of the perimeter bank for the same reasons the RSPB put up signs for children saying 'please do not stand on top of the bank'.

1 comment:

Ploddingbirder said...

Hi Nick, I could see all the birders there very clearly from reed bed I was covering at least half a mile away. Wonderful field craft. The car that was parked by the bank belonged to Tim doing a survey for Phillip Merrick and was parked with his permission.