Staying in cars (with optics handy)!!! (1 Viewer)

[Steve Jones]

I need to blow off steam! Driving up to a local Quarry yesterday I stopped the car at the roadside where local fields were well flooded by the recent heavy rain. I was about 1 minute into browsing excellent views of the hundreds of gulls, herons, snipe etc when the driver of the only other car present got out to get his binoculars from the boot....GOODBYE gulls, herons, snipe etc!!! :C
It just reinforces the need to keep optics close to hand when driving as you never know whats around the corner.
Steve. (...the other driver wound down his window as I was passing to ask if there was anything good around!!)

 

[jpoyner]

Must be related to the people I often encounter who stick their arms out of hide windows shouting loudly as they try to point at the bird which has just taken off.

JP

 

[pauco]

Hi Steve.
I know just how you feel.

 

[Andrew]

Also when birding with groups, you stop to look at a bird ahead of you and the rest just walk on chatting and scare the bird off! Grrr!

 

[KC Foggin]

I'm still trying to find a polite way to tell everyone who tries to talk to me while I am peering through my scope to bug off. Complete silence to their questions does not work. I don't mind the kids and often share what I am seeing with them and I don't even mind legitimate questions on what I am doing but some adults are pretty inconsiderate and rediculous in their questions.

To get back to the original theme here, I find it so much easier to get closer to the birds while I am in my car. I guess cars are an everyday occurrence in the bird's life and not something to be fearful of.

 

[Geoff Brown]

I too find the car and the bins readily to hand are the best form of hide.

 

[nigelblake]

I too find that scopes and paticularly big lenses are fitted with invisible 'idiot magnets'. I was photographing Lapwings at Elmley when a car pulled up beside me and the driver got out to tell me that I had a big lens, as if it was something that I was not already aware of!!

 

[CJW]

Joe Public eh! What would do without him?
My policy when it comes to dealing with the idiot questions is as follows:
As I invariably have another birding companion, we tend to play a variation on the old 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' scenario, whereby I will ignore the interloper (or grunt something insulting) and let my companion deal with them. No wonder I'm running out of friends!

 

[Stephen Dunstan]

I know there was a thread on dealing with the public recently, but if you think you have got it bad try seawatching most days on Blackpool Prom! I've got used to it, and there are people I talk to every day about what I have (and often haven't) seen.

Stephen.

 

[Andrew]

I loved seawatching at Portland Bill by the water treatment building. A lot of folk crawled under thinking my scope was a camera!!!!

 

[Edward woodwood]

I've never noticed this 'idiot' public thing

aren't we being a bit superior here? - after all remember how birders are viewed by most people.....

Myself and a few mates regularly meet plenty of large scope carrying birders that could be said to irritate us in a similar way......
'is it showing? etc'
'have you seen it?'
'where is it?'
'is it still there?'
and so on........before careering off to the next bird......

 

[KC Foggin]

I don't know Tim. Trying standing on a deck with your scope all set and an idiot rolls up on a moped shaking the crap out of everything. Fully aware you are out there with a scope.

 

[pete schofield]

Come on guys and gals lets think about this a bit.

You are a birder and your'e on your way to do whatever, possibly not related to birding, you pass what looks like a likely spot for birds, ok pop in lets have a look.

Where are your bins, scope whatever. Well of course they are in the boot, for crying out loud this little lot cost me over £3000, £6000 if the wife is with me. The bins alone cost over £800 for one pair. I am not likely to leave them lying around in the car for all and sundry to see. The police have enough to do without having to find expensive equipment that should have been in the BOOT!

Don't get me wrong I'm not sticking up for the guy who frightened of the gulls etc. just offering another point of view.

Personally both my wife and I carry a cheap pair of bins in our cars for just these type of occasions.

Pete

 

[nigelblake]

But then what is so difficult about driving a little further on, then stopping and getting the bins, camera or whatever out of the boot and then going back, that way you will see more than just the back end of flushed bird, and not upset whoever else was watching it, and maybe even get some good shots of it too!

 

[CJW]

Come on guys and gals lets think about this a bit.

You are a birder and your'e on your way to do whatever, possibly not related to birding, you pass what looks like a likely spot for birds, ok pop in lets have a look.

Where are your bins, scope whatever. Well of course they are in the boot, for crying out loud this little lot cost me over £3000, £6000 if the wife is with me. The bins alone cost over £800 for one pair. I am not likely to leave them lying around in the car for all and sundry to see. The police have enough to do without having to find expensive equipment that should have been in the BOOT!

In the boot? In the bl**dy boot? Good grief!
Thank God I live in a crime free zone.
In fact, if I look out of my window now, I can see my Land Rover on the drive with the keys in the ignition. On the centre console is a pair of bins (£800) and on the back seat is a scope (£1500), tripod (£200), Digital camera (£500) and a video camera (£600).
Mind you, even if I lived in the UK, the first thing I would do is to make sure the bins were with me in the vehicle. At all times.
There's no excuse for having them in the boot.