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Odd and scary birding



Late this afternoon I stopped by a flooded field to check on a flock of
shorebirds in Henderson County, NC.  It was a mixed flock with several Greater
Yellowlegs, a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs and a whole bunch of Pectoral
Sandpipers.  Meanwhile a man and his 7 or 8 year old son were walking along
the edge of the field near the river, presumably hunting rabbits as they had a
couple of yelping beagles with them.   While watching the shorebirds through
my scope I heard shooting, so I looked up and there was the kid shooting at
the shorebirds.

I decided that I ought to do the right thing (maybe the stupid thing) and
advise the kid’s father that these were not the kind of birds one should be
shooting at and, in any event, hunting season was over.  It took a while to
walk over to the fellow.  Meanwhile his son kept firing away.  Fortunately for
the birds he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.  When I neared the fellow
I suggested to him that perhaps his child shouldn’t be shooting at those
birds.  He responded “they’re doves.”  Doves?????  Long legged doves wading
around in water two or three inches deep?????   My first thought was:
A.	He needed to immediately call his eye doctor and make an appointment.
B.	He needed his blood-alcohol level tested.
C.	He was a guy who really didn’t “know a hawk from a handsaw.”

Whatever the case, I decided maybe I was pushing my luck with this guy who was
someone who probably shouldn’t have been wielding a weapon.  So I just advised
him that, no, they were indeed not doves and it was not legal to be shooting
at them and then retreated.  But he did call his son back and they resumed
walking along the river.

Next I went to another field to bird.  While walking around in that field a
storm suddenly blew up.  I raced back to my car thinking about what a fine
lightning rod my scope would make and wondering if my rubber boots would save
me.

Who says birding isn’t a risky hobby?
Marilyn

Marilyn Westphal
Environmental Quality Institute
University of North Carolina-Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC  28804
828/251-6823
mjwestphal@unca.edu