Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000 13:59:01 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Jim Felley Subject: Least Bittern / marsh bumbling MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From experiences in my former occupation as a fish biologist, I can attest to 'bumbling through the marsh' as an effective way to find both bitterns, as well as rails of various sorts and also Sandhill Crane. Did you know that at 30 ft, a flushed Sandhill Crane can utter a scream that sounds so human it can stop your heart? Please be aware that marsh bumbling for birds reaches an unethical limit when lines of people march through the marsh, or several people drag ropes with attached tin cans, etc. This can also lead to loss of marshland through substrate compaction, etc. Exploring the marsh is fun, and I recommend it to everyone (except people with weak hearts, because of the Sandhill Crane problem, and also because the exercise involved in pulling feet out of mud is quite aerobically challenging). However, if you do this, you should really consider the implications of your actions. Jim Jim Felley Smithsonian Institution irmss668@sivm.si.edu ========================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ========================================================================= ===========================================================================