There I was, happily ensconsed in the purpose-built bird hide at Mariner's Cove, admiring the good numbers of waders there today, including more migrants than I've seen there in the recent past, then in comes this dipstick, skirting the far shoreline and disturbing the birds.
It's a reserve which is under rehabilitation from decades of abuse from recreational fishing/crabbing, a Ramsar site, and people think they can just waltz on in and disturb everything. I think it shows a distinct lack of respect, not only for what people are trying to achieve here but also to the wildlife. It's their safe haven.
She also had bare feet. I've seen sea snakes there, let alone the strong possibility of glass and other nasties from days gone by. 
Did you talk with the person after? She does not look like she is a really enthusiastic nature photographer, judging by her gear and she may have no understanding of some basics. The fact that she is walking blatantly out into the pond shooting in the upright stance also gives away her lack of experience. The birds would freak at an upright human, generally speaking.
You'd find me out there too, but I'd start crawling from way out, well away from the birds and I'd observe their behaviour very carefully, abandoning any further approach if they appear to be disurbed. I would not hesitate to crawl out as far as where she is (possibly) as a prone photographer is a far lesser disturbance to birds on a pond. It is a very good technique when used carefully and one has a good grasp or reading the birds' body language. I've had grebes (even Great Crested, wild ones, not zoo ones) come within 3-10 meters of me when laying on the edge of a pond. That's without crawling. At the end of the day, to me, no photo is worth disturbing the birds for. Well not in her manner!
I reckon her actions are due to lack of education about these issues, rather than being a dipstick.
As much as that is exactly what I would think!
Well, we went to the Western Treatment Plant on Sunday, all fenced off, you need a permit and a key to get in, as you have to open and close gates. Because it was a dark, grey and wet day, there was only one other car that had gone down a different way. We noticed a group of about 8 people with huge backpacks and big sticks. When they got closer my husband called out to them, asking if they had a permit to be in there? Suddenly they all ran into the marshes towards the beach. Two stayed back, yelling at us to f…k off, waving their sticks in the air. We asked, how did you get in here? And what were you doing? The most aggressive one yelled out: climbed fence and exercise. I wonder what they were doing in there? The backpacks looked big and heavy. I had the feeling they might have been duck shooting? Both of us were rather scared of them, and kept on driving. There was no point ringing Melbourne Water, they had the answering machine on . Later we saw them get into their cars in a car park, my husband wanted to drive up to take a photo of the registration plates. I was far too scared, who knows what they would have been capable of?
Did you know? The area around the Western Treatment Plant was listed as a 'wetland of international importance' under the Ramsar Convention in 1982. The birdlife in the area is protected under commonwealth and state legislation as well as a number of international bird protection agreements, such as the Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement, China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement and Republic of Korea-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement.
No agreement works, if people don’t respect it.
(hi dna1972
, nice to see you again)
M-L
dna1972, that's not a pond. I took that from a fair distance away with a 400mm lens and enlarged it by cropping. If I could have gotten near her she would have gotten a serve, that's for sure. It's low tide at the Creery Wetlands reserve off the estuary at Mandurah in the Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar site and the vegetation behind her is a small island. The birds will see you coming no matter what you do because you must cross that wide open stretch and there is nowhere to crawl through the undergrowth to the edge. (Believe you me, you wouldn't want to be crawling through that sludgy tidal samphire anyway, not to mention that you'd be crushing said samphire which they're trying to rehabilitate). That girl may well be an amateur but she knew exactly where she was going and what she was after.
The area where I was is on the opposite shore and is a well-known fenced-off birding area with public access, with well laid out dirt walking tracks through the trees and around tidal lakes, a purpose-built bird hide (rebuilt since some teenage thugs burnt down the original) and a boardwalk (also with repairs for malicious damage) extending from the treeline way out over the samphire to the shoreline. The trouble is that people just walk around the far fence where it meets the water, out into the water reserve and skirt the far shore - where they are not supposed to be.
I've also noticed groups of ambush photogs sweeping clear the beach at Nairns reserve with their quick ducking and diving to get a good shot of birds as they flush them. I'd sit on the beach instead for an hour or 2 and wait for whatever happened to come past. If I saw such a group from the carpark I'd leave because there wouldn't be a bird left. 12 months ago you'd barely see any footprints there. There were nests right on the beach. In the last few months, between the idiots with dogs (it's a dog prohibited area but who reads signs), phogs and the fishing/crabbing crowd (I saw a local TV crew going in there to film for their fishing show last weekend), there are no nests left and whole area is trampled and littered with rubbish. There should be red-capped plovers there all year round. They've gone.
Last weekend, kayakers were in Creery (they at least kept their distance out in the water with little disturbance to the birds but that's no excuse). One person does it, everyone thinks they can do it and the end result is another Nairns.
People should have some respect for what these reserves are intended for - the rehabilitation and preservation of the environment as habitat for the birds/animals that naturally live there.
Wendy
Mandurah, WA
Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar Site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlinoz/
M-L, I'd say you caught them red-handed which is why they got nasty and I wouldn't have wanted to get too close either.
Shame you couldn't get their plates. Did you still report them? The powers that be should be at least alerted because they could threaten someone else, let alone take more birds.
Wendy
Mandurah, WA
Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar Site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlinoz/
I don't disagree with anything you say Wendy. I would not go myself if I knew there is a reason for it being a reserve and there was not a "safe" way to get onto the mud. One can walk to the mud and then crawl without stomping on too much vegetation. However, that's not my point. If people know the rules, they should follow them. If there are signs, they should read them and adhere. There are plenty of places to photograph birds. Photography should never be at the detriment of the birds or any other animal for that matter.
Nice pics on flickr BTW. Had a quick look.
Yep, I get that. Thanks. I took most of them at Creery so it shows that you don't need to wade out into the no-go-zone to find the birds and with that bad boy lens in your pic, you wouldn't even have to get down in the sludge to get some great shots.
Wendy
Mandurah, WA
Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar Site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlinoz/
Ha ha. That's what people think! You know for me to photograph a pardalote with that "bad boy" lens (I like that BTW) I still need to be about five or so meters away!
I do prefer larger birds, such as raptors and owls, but they are incredibly difficult to get good shots of. I have learned in the craft of bird photography that the size of a man't tool actually matters! It is never big enough!
BTW, it really is important to get low and eye level when birds are on the ground, so the focal length is not a deciding factor in that.
What is your lens? 400/5.6?
What to do when untoward behaviour is occuring in environmentally sensitive areas is a condundrum. I like the idea of taking numbers of cars & making reports rather than challenging people where it can be assessed from body language & voice tone & volume that the trangressors are in a transgressive mood. The latter can turn nasty & interfere with a pleasant day's bird watching.
A number of times I've engaged people in discussion about the particular wetland/bush patch & its wildlife to guage their awareness & attitudes. More often than not they're uninformed & have responded (or at least pretended to respond) well to discussion about aspects of the location. On one occasion I politely asked two young people if they would mind putting their rubbish in the bin provided & they complied. So far, the grumpiest response I've had was from a guy cutting roadside timber but, thankfully, he kept his chainsaw sheathed.
So it depends a lot on circumstances & how one goes about it. It's a very tricky subject.
Totally agree Adrian. One can generally anticipate the kind of response from people. It's the same with ones feeding ducks with old bread - because they believe a duck's diet consists of old bread. I won't go there though.
I hate to admit it but I have been guilty of this in the past ,I watched clips on youtube (mainly American) and thought that was how it was done .
I now know better ,I still wade out into some of the local swamps but now I keep low and move slowly and if I see the birds getting edgy I stop or back away once set up you'd be amazed how close birds come to me ,we have in the area a couple swamps that have been set aside as bird havens there are" keep out "signs everywhere but some people just ignore them the owner of one is at his witts end he even had a woman walking her 2 dogs off lead tell him to get s----ed you cant tell me what to do !
I suggested he change the signs to "Tiger snake breading area" but he thinks a nice new electric fence is the way to go.
dna1972 asked "What is your lens? 400/5.6?"
I mainly use that one, occasionally dig out the Sigma 150-500mm (love the extra length but it's a bit disappointing in the IQ department) or sometimes even the 200mm f/2.8 (shaaaarp) maybe with the 1.4x. I can only dream of winning lotto for something bigger.
Wendy
Mandurah, WA
Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar Site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlinoz/
THe Canon EF 400/5.6L USM is a fantastic, compact and pin sharp lens. Sell the Sigma!