Please let the birds rest

To the editor:

I have lived here in this location for 39 years. I love it. I would like to tell you today about what I see from “my view.”

I see a bunch of uninformed, curious people. Let me enlighten you a bit.

The Canada and snow geese, sandhill cranes, ducks and many other migrating birds land in our fields here to rest after thousands of miles of flight from wherever they winter. Some winter as far as southern Chile, so I have read. They are fun to watch, especially if there is any pond of water left from the snow. Lately there have been no ponds.

What I would like you to know is they have very keen vision, and if you get out of your car and move toward them, they will fly. Just think about yourself after a long, hard day at work and you have to get up from your resting place. You can’t take a nap or sleep through the night — all because you are constantly on watch. This is how it is with the birds. Some fly continuously for 54 hours to get here to rest.

I would like you to be courteous to the birds first, then to others who would like to see them — from their cars. Please do not get out of your cars and go toward them while they are resting from that long journey.

Today, another car pulled up on our street, parked, and the man went way out into the middle of the field to take pictures. Of course, he scared away the flock of geese and cranes resting there. The birds saw him as he remained in the field and they did not come back to rest, but instead went away to somewhere else to rest (hopefully). There were other cars parked along the road to watch the birds, and I am sure they were disappointed when the guy scared them all away.

Courteous? I think not. What was he thinking? It is quite a sight to see with hundreds of birds landing in the fields, but if people like that keep bugging them they probably will not return.

Joyce Momarts

Palmer