I had just finished reading the material from Canada that Patrick
summarizes below. As I think of my Canadian ancestors it seems overall
they have a more mindful and polite attitude about birding--and some
other things--than we do in the USA. All too often it seems Americans,
upon hearing that a remote site is set aside for migrant shorebirds,
will eagerly head that way if they had fishing gear, a beach buggy, or a
yen to penetrate an 'unspoiled' off-limits site. If you look at those
photos from Canada, you can find images of thousands of birds crowding
for food: do they inspire readers to approach too close to get views,
and images that hundreds of other photographers have already taken (and
"taking" is the right verb)? Hats off to the Canucks!
Bill Whan

On 8/19/2017 12:23 AM, Coy, Patrick G. wrote:
> Every situation where the needs of migrating birds and human
> recreation seem to compete are different and have their own dynamics.
> What helps resolve those conflicts in one place may not work in
> another. But given the discussions on this list over the years about
> the Conneaut spit, I thought others might find this accounting from
> Bird Studies Canada of using solid social science research techniques
> to help bridge those perceived competing needs in the Bay of Fundy
> area as useful and inspiring as I did.
>
> Patrick Coy Peninsula, OH
>
> Giving Shorebirds More "Space to Roost" in Nova Scotia's Minas Basin
> By Jaya Fahey, Shorebird Stewardship Biologist, Bird Studies Canada
>
> In late summer, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop over in the
> Bay of Fundy's Minas Basin, in Nova Scotia, during their remarkable
> migration to South America. They require access to beaches and other
> coastal sites where they can rest when mudflat foraging habitat is
> covered during high tide. The Minas Basin is such a critical area for
> migratory shorebirds. The Space to Roost project is led by Bird
> Studies Canada in collaboration with Dalhousie University, Blomidon
> Naturalists Society, and provincial and federal partners. The project
> aims to reduce human pressures on shorebirds in the Minas Basin by
> assessing human-use patterns at roost sites, and working with coastal
> users to develop and test effective disturbance reduction
> strategies.
>
> In 2016, we conducted 41 audits at four known shorebird resting sites
> in the Minas Basin: Evangeline Beach, Avonport Beach, Blue Beach, and
> 'The Guzzle' (the channel between Boot Island and the mainland). We
> noted numbers and types of coastal users, numbers and locations of
> shorebirds, and all disturbance events. Overall, the majority of
> disturbances to shorebird flocks were caused by recreational
> activities, particularly walkers. Concurrently, we conducted 60
> interviews with recreational users, including striped bass anglers,
> swimmers, walkers, photographers, and dog walkers, to get a sense of
> the type of user at each site and their knowledge of shorebirds. Of
> the 60 interviewed, 48 indicated they were interested in learning
> more, and 17 said they would be interested in helping with the
> project.
>
> With input from our partners, we decided to focus on The Guzzle and
> Avonport Beach in year two, as both sites had large flock sizes, a
> high number of disturbances, beach area that was under-used by humans
> and could be set aside for roosting flocks, and engaged local
> recreational users.
>
> In the spring of 2017, we reached out to the interviewees from 2016
> who had indicated an interest in the project, and also conducted an
> online survey of striped bass anglers who fish at The Guzzle. We
> wanted to know whether these users would be open to setting aside a
> stretch of beach at each site, from two hours before to two hours
> after high tide, in August. The majority agreed that this would not
> be a problem. During the last week of July, we distributed handouts
> to local businesses with details about the project, tips for sharing
> the beach with roosting shorebirds, and a tide chart to indicate when
> roosting shorebirds would be present. On August 1, we installed
> access point signs at both beaches, which describe the project and
> encourage readers to take an attached handout in French or English.
> We also installed signs at either end of the beach areas we hope
> users will avoid from two hours before to two hours after high tide.
>
> Thus far, the signs and handouts have been enthusiastically received,
> with overwhelmingly positive feedback for the project. We're hoping
> that this enthusiasm and engagement results in a decrease in
> disturbance events this year!
>
> http://www.birdscanada.org/news/giving-shorebirds-more-space-to-roost-in-nova-scotias-minas-basin?bblinkid=57124307&bbemailid=4682868&bbejrid=352274696
>
>
>
>
>
>
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