[mou] Sax Zim feeders to avoid
Mike Hendrickson
smithville4@charter.net
Thu, 30 Dec 2004 19:48:05 -0600
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_003B_01C4EEA8.7AFB6A30
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Two days ago I was leading a group from Kentucky in the Sax Zim area. I =
noticed some birders a mile north of county road 52 on county road 7. =
This is the area right before the big bend of county road 7. There are =
two grey houses and the house on the left has a very active feeder. The =
house on the right has some very strong issues with birders.
My group was approached by the woman who lives in the house that has =
issues with birders. Here are her concerns and desires.
1. She does not want any birders to park or stand in front of her house =
and her neighbors house. She wants privacy and doesn't want any =
attention given to her feeders or her neighbors feeders.=20
* Even though you can not even see her feeders and I have no idea what =
birds are coming to her feeders. Its her neighbor's feeders that has =
birds like Pine Grosbeaks and Evening Grosbeaks coming to it. There =
were reports of two Hoary Redpolls at this feeder this week. She never =
once said what her neighbor would prefer when it comes to birders =
observing the feeders.=20
2. This woman is afraid that some birder may go into her mailbox and =
take all her mail or block the mailbox from the mailman.
* the mailbox was never blocked in but she fears it might happen.
3. Even though she agrees that area businesses are booming in sales like =
Meadowlands COOP and Wilbert's Cafe and all the gas stations she would =
prefer birders to bird some place else!
* I smiled and told her that there is wide acceptance of birders from =
many people in the meadowlands area and Cotton. I also told her I would =
post her concerns to the MOU listserve and she was delighted by this. =
She just wants to be left alone. I told her I can control my future =
groups but I can not control other birders desires to stop and look at =
her neighbors feeders from the pubic road. She understood this. I have =
a strong feeling she is going to stand by her windows and approach any =
birder that stops and looks at her neighbors feeder all winter long.
3. She feels people can see all the way down to her driveway and view =
her inside her house. I told her that birders are viewing the birds at =
her neighbors and not at her house. She just doesn't want the attention =
of birders standing on county road 7 because she feels violated and =
thinks a birder maybe casing her house out for a possible burglary! I =
told her birders are just interested in her neighbors birds and not her =
house.
All in all it was a good conversation. We left and other birders left as =
well. I do not plan to stop at this area and I wish birders do the same. =
There are other feeders in northern Lake County that offer more of the =
same birds.
Take Highway 1 to Isabella and park at the cafe and right across the =
road is a large feeding station that has a ton of Pine Grosbeaks, =
Siskins, Redpolls, and a Boreal Chickadee. No hassles from anyone and =
less traffic! Also the feeders are close and offer great opportunities =
for getting close up view of these birds. I would come here rather than =
any Sax Zim feeder has to offer. =20
The people in Sax Zim are extremely private individuals and I feel they =
have no desires of inviting birders to view there feeders. I would just =
go there for the owls, sharp-tail grouse, magpies, boreal chickadees, =
and black-backed woodpeckers. If you want to see some friendly Gray =
Jays go to Spruce Road in Lake Co. off Hwy 1 and these jays will feed =
out of your hand and actually follow you around.
What I am trying to say is I am going to make it a practice to just =
drive by any feeders in Sax Zim. Two days ago I stopped at two feeders =
and my discussion with this woman made me feel her feelings towards =
birders is probably not to far off base what other people who live in =
rural Sax Zim feel about birders looking at their feeders. =20
Michael Hendrickson
Minnesota Birding Treks
http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/
------=_NextPart_000_003B_01C4EEA8.7AFB6A30
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2900.2523" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>Two days ago I was leading a =
group from=20
Kentucky in the Sax Zim area. I noticed some birders a mile north of =
county road=20
52 on county road 7. This is the area right before the big bend of =
county=20
road 7. There are two grey houses and the house on the left has a =
very=20
active feeder. The house on the right has some very strong issues =
with=20
birders.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>My group was approached by =
the woman who=20
lives in the house that has issues with birders. Here are her concerns =
and=20
desires.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>1. She does not want any =
birders to park=20
or stand in front of her house and her neighbors house. She wants =
privacy and=20
doesn't want any attention given to her feeders or her neighbors=20
feeders. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4> * Even though you can =
not even see=20
her feeders and I have no idea what birds are coming to her feeders. Its =
her=20
neighbor's feeders that has birds like Pine Grosbeaks and Evening =
Grosbeaks=20
coming to it. There were reports of two Hoary Redpolls at this =
feeder this=20
week. She never once said what her neighbor would prefer when it =
comes to=20
birders observing the feeders. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>2. This woman is afraid that =
some birder=20
may go into her mailbox and take all her mail or block the mailbox from =
the=20
mailman.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>* the mailbox was never =
blocked in but=20
she fears it might happen.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>3. Even though she agrees =
that area=20
businesses are booming in sales like Meadowlands COOP and Wilbert's Cafe =
and all=20
the gas stations she would prefer birders to bird some place =
else!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>* I smiled and told her that =
there is=20
wide acceptance of birders from many people in the meadowlands area and =
Cotton.=20
I also told her I would post her concerns to the MOU listserve and she =
was=20
delighted by this. She just wants to be left alone. I told her I =
can=20
control my future groups but I can not control other birders desires to =
stop and=20
look at her neighbors feeders from the pubic road. She understood =
this. I=20
have a strong feeling she is going to stand by her windows and approach =
any=20
birder that stops and looks at her neighbors feeder all winter=20
long.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>3. She feels people can =
see all the=20
way down to her driveway and view her inside her house. I told her that =
birders=20
are viewing the birds at her neighbors and not at her house. She just =
doesn't=20
want the attention of birders standing on county road 7 because she =
feels=20
violated and thinks a birder maybe casing her house out for a possible =
burglary!=20
I told her birders are just interested in her neighbors birds and=20
not her house.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>All in all it was a good =
conversation. We=20
left and other birders left as well. I do not plan to stop at this =
area and=20
I wish birders do the same. There are other feeders in =
northern Lake=20
County that offer more of the same birds.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>Take Highway 1 to =
Isabella and=20
park at the cafe and right across the road is a =
large=20
feeding station that has a ton of Pine Grosbeaks, =
Siskins, Redpolls, and a=20
Boreal Chickadee. No hassles from anyone and less traffic! Also =
the=20
feeders are close and offer great opportunities for getting close =
up view=20
of these birds. I would come here rather than any Sax Zim =
feeder has=20
to offer. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>The people in Sax =
Zim are=20
extremely private individuals and I feel they have no desires of =
inviting=20
birders to view there feeders. I would just go there for the owls, =
sharp-tail=20
grouse, magpies, boreal chickadees, and black-backed =
woodpeckers. If=20
you want to see some friendly Gray Jays go to Spruce Road in Lake =
Co. off=20
Hwy 1 and these jays will feed out of your hand and actually follow you=20
around.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>What I am trying to say =
is I am=20
going to make it a practice to just drive by any feeders in Sax Zim. Two =
days=20
ago I stopped at two feeders and my discussion with this woman made me =
feel her=20
feelings towards birders is probably not to far off base what other =
people who=20
live in rural Sax Zim feel about birders looking at their=20
feeders. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>Michael =
Hendrickson</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D4>Minnesota Birding Treks<BR><A =
href=3D"http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/">http://webpages.chart=
er.net/mmhendrickson/</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_003B_01C4EEA8.7AFB6A30--