Re: World Birding Center
Norm Saunders (osprey@ARI.Net)
Wed, 25 Mar 1998 18:32:03 -0500
I'm sorry you had such a negative experience in Nebraska, but you
seem to have missed the point of my note, Bob.
Nonetheless, let me say that Fran and I went to Nebraska on our own
over a long weekend in March last year. It was bitterly cold, the
Rainwater Basin ponds were frozen solid, the prairie chickens were
silent, but we had an absolutely marvelous time! The low point of
the entire trip was indeed the dusk trek to the viewing blind. The
rest of the trip, in spite of the fact that we saw only 65 species,
more than fulfilled our expectations. To see so many Sandhill Cranes
wheeling through the sky each morning and all during the day was
breathtaking! Just to see that marvelous flat country rolling on
mile after mile and to feel that never-ending wind blowing across the
cornfields was a different experience!
The point of my message was, however, aimed at NAS, not at Nebraska
or Texas. Please re-read it so you see what I was talking about! I
resent the fact that NAS hierarchy feel they need to stoop to
insulting a certain group of birders in order to justify the building
of whatever monstrosity it is they intend to build in Texas. There
is enough animosity expressed every day on our local road system--why
do birders as a group need to add to it?
Cheers,
Norm
Bob Mumford wrote:
> I AM an avid birder who has been to the Rio Grande probably a dozen
> times. I also went to Nebraska a year ago for Wings Over the
> Platte. It was a major disappointment. We paid something like $25
> a pop to be carried a few miles on a bus and led to a cement block
> blind about 15 x 8. There were only about 30 of us in there and the
> birds were a hundred yards or more away. There were so many people
> that only about a third could be looking out the slit windows at a
> time.
>
> The feeding cranes for the most part stay in the center of corn
> fields that are a mile square. It aint Chincoteague or Blackwater
> or the OC pond.
>
> As for the Rainwater Basin lakes, they were indeed filled with ducks
> and geese. Only problem is that they are heavily hunted in the Fall
> and early winter and fly or swim off as soon as you drive your car
> up an access road.
>
> Yes, there are prairie chickens dancing on a lek in the area. You
> can view them from the road - again at 100 yards or more. No blind
> available.
>
> I wrote several letters to the folks who run that show and never
> even received a reply. I would not return, nor recommend the
> experience. Perhaps I expected too much. Back to the valley for
> me.
>
> Bob Mumford
> Darnestown
>
===============
Norm Saunders
Colesville, MD
osprey@ari.net