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Safe Birding (1 Viewer)

stuart C smith

stuart C smith

swansong
i have had two run ins in the last three weeks with [yobs] whilst birding alone at my l.n.r. [ no i am not politically correct, nor will i ever be ] too many do - gooders about as it is. theft was to be the motive, how do you protect yourself when birding alone ?? .
 
I know what you mean. I felt decidedly uncomfortable looking at Waxwings through bins during their recent invasion round the corner from where I live in Bristol where the crack dealers and working girls hang out.
 
stuart C smith said:
i have had two run ins in the last three weeks with [yobs] whilst birding alone at my l.n.r. [ no i am not politically correct, nor will i ever be ] too many do - gooders about as it is. theft was to be the motive, how do you protect yourself when birding alone ?? .
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Personally, I have never had any trouble but most of my birding is in rural Sussex. Usually there is no one else around or only dog walkers, other birders or people out for a country walk. It has crossed my mind that with a scope, bins and a camera I could be a target for thieves. I try not to worry about it but I think if my birding was more urban I would probably be more concerned. I do always carry my mobile but this is just as much in case I have an accident as for calling for assistance because of threatening chavs or whoever.
 
joannechattaway said:
Personally, I have never had any trouble but most of my birding is in rural Sussex. Usually there is no one else around or only dog walkers, other birders or people out for a country walk. It has crossed my mind that with a scope, bins and a camera I could be a target for thieves. I try not to worry about it but I think if my birding was more urban I would probably be more concerned. I do always carry my mobile but this is just as much in case I have an accident as for calling for assistance because of threatening chavs or whoever.
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I make sure all my gear is fully insured. Living in London it is a worry, but I decided years ago that if someone was to pull a knife on me they were welcome to it. Thankfully nothing like that has happened yet.
"Better a live rat, than a dead lion", as someone once astutely observed.
 
paulwfromtheden said:
I make sure all my gear is fully insured. Living in London it is a worry, but I decided years ago that if someone was to pull a knife on me they were welcome to it. Thankfully nothing like that has happened yet.
"Better a live rat, than a dead lion", as someone once astutely observed.
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I totally agree with you, I wouldn't be taking any risks... but as most of my birding is done at well established birding sites in Norfolk I doubt I'll have any trouble. Being large of build and often having a shaved head and a beard I probably look tougher than I am!

Your quote reminded me of a Red Dwarf classic...

Cat - better to live an hour as a lion than a lifetime as a worm
Rimmer - but who ever heard of a work skin rug...?
 
I had my first dodgy experience a couple of weeks ago.. late afternoon in the copse just south of where I live.. Returning to the road, youths were lighting fires between me and the road. Decided to avoid them completely, as I didn't fancy becoming Guy Fawkes. They didn't see me. Take your mobile, loaded with local beat police officer's number.
Plus side.. my diversion led to me seeing half a dozen Woodcocks!
 
stuart C smith said:
i have had two run ins in the last three weeks with [yobs] whilst birding alone at my l.n.r. [ no i am not politically correct, nor will i ever be ] too many do - gooders about as it is. theft was to be the motive, how do you protect yourself when birding alone ?? .
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Stuart living 4 miles south of Manchester city centre I know where you're coming from.

During the week I've never had a problem but at weekends its a case of getting out and getting back before the idiots wake up (seems to be about 11.30ish in these parts before their previous nights intake of drink/drugs wear off). Weekend afternoons are a no-go zone the local nature reserve is managed for dog fighting and anything that can fly is well gone by then. I'm out every day with the binoculars and I've had very few problems. However when I recently upgraded to some Nikon roof prisms one of the key considerations was would they fit in the back pocket of a pair of jeans. A bit sad but out of sight out of mind is sometimes the safest approach. I don't use the scope locally mainly because I feel vulnerable with it being so static likewise the camera is reserved for weekday mornings unless its mid-winter and I can hide it under a coat. In addition on the local patch I always take the dog whilst admittedly I miss the odd warbler he's a great early warning system.
 
As I run into many transients here who are more interested in what my equipment will buy them, I have a permit to carry and have for the last few years when I am in an area that might present problems.
 
KCFoggin said:
As I run into many transients here who are more interested in what my equipment will buy them, I have a permit to carry and have for the last few years when I am in an area that might present problems.
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Not sure we'd be able to get away with that in Norfolk!
 
I totally agree with you, I wouldn't be taking any risks... but as most of my birding is done at well established birding sites in Norfolk I doubt I'll have any trouble. Being large of build and often having a shaved head and a beard I probably look tougher than I am!

Maybe I'll have a T-shirt made up with the message 'I'm with the big bald bearded birder'
 
whomes said:
Not sure we'd be able to get away with that in Norfolk!
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I'm tempted to say ''unfortunately''

But that would go against my pacifist preferances ;)

We can only do our best to avoid these situations and go with the flow,little point tooling yaself up-you'd almost definately come off worse anyway.

Matt
 
little point tooling yaself up-you'd almost definately come off worse anyway.
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Of course, you have to use common sense but I learned mace can blow right back in your face, stun gun -you have to get too close. I've had to use it only twice in conjunction with a phone call to the PD and the situation was handled with no one injured.
 
Good advice, just hand it over and try and get a good description for the police. If its a blatent robbery, especially with a weapon, call the police on 999 and stay put if you can. I know it can be a bit of a shock when it happens but think forensically. Any footprints left at the scene by the offender are great for SOCO and if there are make sure you point them out to the bobby who turns up. Use your birding notebook to make a note of descriptions of offenders, its often hard to remember later on. I suppose it happens more in inner city areas, we dont get many reports of birders getting Robbed here in Cornwall!
 
You get results in quiet, undisturbed areas-that is understandable that birds want some quiet! Unfortunately it is also a prime place for the shady folks to hang out undisturbed. Also, in a remote place, you're kinda stuck if anything happens. I would imagine that anything actually happening is rare enough, but still... it is awful that we have to look over our shoulders all the time but you can say that about all things really.
For me? Rogue schoolkids playing hooky and a disturbed man near my patch are the only things I've ever encountered.
 
Yeh it's a sad sign of the times. Never used to give it a second thought years ago but then we didn't walk around with thousands of pounds worth of equiptment(i wish!). These days people have thousand pound scopes, bins, digital cameras, mobiles etc... so are walking gold mines to the wrong people.
I think it's pretty safe at popular birding places but you do have to be carefull if you're going somewhere new to see a bird reported, as you never know for sure what the area is like. If there is empty beer cans and graffitti in abundance it's a good sign that you shouldn't be there in the evening.
A work mate of mine has recently started birding and keeps going to the places he used to go when he was a kid inthe sixties and has had all sorts of problems.
 
Fortunately, most youths think birders are geeks and dont realize the worth of bins and scopes. Cameras they do though! The most i've had is the idiots who think its funny to beep their car horns as they drive past the causeway on the Hayle Estuary!! I think i would insist on keeping the memory card from my camera, if confronted!
 
Conorbirda2 said:
Fortunately, most youths think birders are geeks and dont realize the worth of bins and scopes. Cameras they do though! The most i've had is the idiots who think its funny to beep their car horns as they drive past the causeway on the Hayle Estuary!! I think i would insist on keeping the memory card from my camera, if confronted!
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Yeah, I've always been more bothered about getting grief from youths for being a nerd rather than having stuff stolen. I tend to keep as much in my (rather regular-looking) backpack at most times when I'm on the move, with the exception of bins. I always imagine the tripod case looks a bit like fishing rods to the untrained eye, and people don't tend to get so much grief over that.
 
whomes said:
I totally agree with you, I wouldn't be taking any risks... but as most of my birding is done at well established birding sites in Norfolk I doubt I'll have any trouble. Being large of build and often having a shaved head and a beard I probably look tougher than I am!

Maybe I'll have a T-shirt made up with the message 'I'm with the big bald bearded birder'
Click to expand...
Can you do one for Didi, so she can wear it when out with me (another big, bald, bearded birder).
 
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