Re: silly question

Dave Pardoe (dpardoe@erols.com)
Mon, 28 Sep 1998 10:19:13 +0000


A good friend of mine several years ago was driving in western Maryland 
when he saw turkeys and pulled into a gated driveway to watch them out 
the car window with his binnoculars. He was immediatelly surrounded by 
armed men. He happened to have pulled into the entrance way of Camp 
David. The Secret Service were not immediately amused.



Elliot Kirschbaum wrote:
> 
> On 9/25/98 5:27 PM Dona Patrick said
> 
> >How does one get over the feeling of reverse paranoia when using binoculars
> >in her backyard in the suburbs?  I mean I feel funny running around my yard
> >and neighborhood using my binoculars.  I am worried the neighbors will think
> >I am spying on them. (and I am not, HONEST) I have told every neighbor I
> >have talked to for more than 10 minutes that I am a birder (and put it in
> >the bi-yearly neighborhood directory).  Do you think that is enough?
> 
> At least you are in your own backyard. Last Saturday evening, for the
> Fall Count, I went to an alley in back of an apartment building at 7:00
> p.m. to count Chimney Swifts as they entered the apartment building
> chimney to roost for the night. The birds started funneling at 7:12; at
> 7:25 a police car pulled up at the entrance to the alley ("Someone
> reported a man with binoculars in the alley. Not that there is any law
> against it."; at 7:35 the Swifts were all inside the chimney and my
> presence would have been harder to explain.
> 
> By the way does anyone know how to get an accurate count of funnelling
> swifts when you have to explain what is going on to curious neighbors, a
> group of partiers who are sure they are bats, and a cop.
> 
> Elliot Kirschbaum
> Baltimore, MD USA
> mailto:ekirschb@bcpl.net