[mou] birder warnings

[Sid Stivland]

The recent posts about law enforcement response to birders, snowy owl sightings, and activity near the Duluth Airport prompts me to comment.

Earlier this fall, I was confronted by St. Cloud Hospital security personnel as I scouted the Mississippi River and adjoining habitats with my binocs.  Apparently, he was alerted by an employee at the hospital to "suspicious activity behind the hospital".  In his defense, he calmed down as soon as I explained what I was doing and when he learned I had a family member in surgery at the hospital.  Nevertheless, I was questioned, had my ID checked, and generally shaken down, sort of a humiliating experience.  By the way, an employee at the hospital had initially suggested the river walking path to me as a way to stretch, get some air, and maybe some exercise.  I guess the binocs were the suspicious activity.

My initial reaction was to be upset but, the more I thought about it, the more I was saddened by the experience.  I arrived at the realization that this is a sign of the times we are living in.  We are encouraged to "turn in suspicious activity", be the eyes and ears of law enforcement, "be alert", etc.  While I guess this modus operendi has advantages, i.e. community control of behavior, I fear we are now reacting to almost everything and reports are filed by folks with no particular training or way of knowing what "suspicious activity" is.  Does a person walking around in broad daylight with a pair of binoculars constitute suspicious activity?  I guess so!.  As Mike and Mark (and perhaps others) have reported, even law enforcement is prone to overreaction, knee jerk reactions, and misinterpretation.  So even trained folks are running scared and taking no chances, assuming the worst.

I think it is a sad state of affairs.  I grew up in a small community and thought it was bad enough adjusting to the impersonal "Big City" with all of its various problems.  But it seems worse now - as Mike pointed out - even small towns are paranoid.   In any event, I am now very concious where I aim my binocs.  If I am in an urban area, I try to not aim at someone's house, for example.  I try my best to respect private property.  I try to ask permission or inform people what I am doing ahead of time.  But it is not possible to be perfect and we are all surprised from time to time.  This is not meant to excuse bad birder behavior, we all know this happens from time to time.  I just hope we can continue our hobby without upsetting everyone or getting accused of suspicious activity or worse.  Maybe birders will always be misunderstood.  Maybe the general public will never believe that folks actually stand around in the cold and rain and sun and wind and look at birds, they must be doing something wrong!

Merry Christmas to all and lets hope for a more peaceful (and less tense) New Year,

Sid Stivland

Plymouth, MN 
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